


Lace and Leather

by justkindaherechilling



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anxiety Attacks, Ballet Dancer Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Dancer Lance (Voltron), Dancing, Depression, Gay Keith (Voltron), Idk this is a mess????, M/M, Mild Smut, Musician Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:48:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 98,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23501839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justkindaherechilling/pseuds/justkindaherechilling
Summary: UC Berkeley isn't ready for Lance McClain and Keith Kogane
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 191
Kudos: 278





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a mess. See the end for more notes.

**Lance**

“Remind me again why we decided college was a good idea.” Lance groaned as he picked up his bag. “One of my classes required that I rent _seven_ books this semester. I haven’t read this much in my life.”

“Oh for fucks sake.” Pidge laughed, hoping on his back.

Lance almost buckled under the weight. “Pidge! Come on! Your major doesn’t require _anything._ ”

“Well, a computer. You know, for the computer science program.”

“You two are way too sarcastic.” Hunk had his face buried in his phone. “I think you should both calm down.”

The trio left the library on campus into the bright sunshine of a late California day. Lance hadn’t known Hunk and Pidge before starting at Berkeley. They were all majoring in different things as well; Lance was double majoring in Dance and Dramatic Art. Pidge was Computer Science and Hunk was in Ethnic Studies. But they all liked to frequent the same places in and around campus when they were studying and they all sort of became friends.

Lance and Hunk became such good friends that they ended up living in a student apartment together on campus. Hunk was also one of the only reasons that Lance ate anything at all. Between both of his majors he was constantly busy. But he liked it that way. He had never been one to sit around and waste time.

“Do you have rehearsal later today?” Hunk asked Lance, squinting into the sunlight.

Lance rolled his eyes, “Yep. I finally got a studio to myself. I have to rework my ballet shit before midterms.”

“I still can’t believe you’re a _dance_ major.” Pidge ribbed.

Lance quirked a brow, “Have you seen me? I am violently bisexual, full of caffeine and drama. Of course I’m a dance major.”

Hunk laughed and shoved Pidge off the sidewalk. “See you later?” Hunk asked, already heading an opposite direction.

“Yep! See you buddy!” Lance put his ear buds in and waved goodbye to Pidge and started to jog across campus. Scrolling through his playlist he settled on some Gregory Dillon. Lance had been obsessed with the track _Alien Boyfriend_ lately. He turned up the volume and picked up his pace. As he made is way across campus he saw people wave at him and he waved back, giving them the classic Lance smirk. Berkeley was a huge campus but Lance still knew quite a few people. Hell, he was a flamboyant extrovert; every one in the world was his friend.

Well expect for that one other guy in the dance program with Lance. Fucking Lotor. Who names their kid Lotor? Willingly? Lance had to give it to the guy though, he was incredibly talented. But he took everything way too seriously.

Lance inhaled deeply as he ran along. The smell of the late afternoon in California fueled his soul. He grew up in Cali. His parents had wanted him to try going somewhere out of state but Lance refused. He had dreamed of Berkeley since he was a kid and when he got in it was the happiest day of his life.

His parents also resented the fact that Lance was majoring in two “fluff” majors as they called them. But Lance had been dancing his entire life. His older sister Rachel did dance at one of their auntie’s studios and Lance had been obsessed. Asked her endlessly questions and annoyed her to the point that she finally forced their mother to bring Lance with to one of her lessons. From that day on Lance spent more time at the studio than he did at home. He tried everything, ballet, tap, hip-hop, and even some Irish step dance.

Though his parents didn’t fully support it they came to all of his recitals, and even after Rachel quit dance Lance kept going. He loved dance more than anything. When he was in high school he became the first guy on the dance team. Then they came in first place at State Dance three years in a row.

Lance had admired Berkeley’s dance program for years and worked his ass off to get accepted. And here was in his junior year, kicking ass and taking names. That is if he could pass this fucking ballet midterm.

He finally reached the building with the dance studios and made his way to the third floor. He saw a familiar figure in a studio just up the hall from his. Poking his head in the door he said in a singsong voice, “Hello Alluraaaa.”

She looked up from where she was stretching on the floor and gave him a look, “Hello Lance.”

“What are you working on this evening?”

She quirked a brow, “I’m finishing up. Are you telling me you haven’t started your ballet midterm yet?”

Groaning Lance leaned against the doorway, “I had three other classes today. I only have about an hour of free time.”

“Which is now?” She asked, gracefully getting off the floor.

Lance glanced at his watch. “Shit, yeah.” He waved goodbye as he dashed down the hallway to his own practice space. He tossed his book bag on the floor and opened up his dance bag. He didn’t think he needed his pointe shoes for this piece, but that was part of the reason he was struggling. He couldn’t nail the choreography for this to save his life.

Their professor also wanted them to use contemporary music and it had taken Lance six tries to get a song approved. He’d finally gotten his professor to agree to the song _Temperature_ by Milk. It wasn’t particularly fast, nor was it slow. In hindsight Lance would’ve tried for something different. He loved this song, but it was difficult to nail a perfect step sequence.

He put his old leather shoes on and stretched out as quickly as he could manage. Hooking his phone up to the Bluetooth he started the song and put it on repeat, moving to the center of the studio space. Looking himself down in the mirror he waited for his cue. Opening in fourth position he glided easily into sauté and leapt across the floor grand jeté. Soon the rest of the world faded away as Lance worked his way across the floor.

Ballet might not be his favorite form of dance, but he was good at it. He’d never grown past 5’7” so he was able to stay flexible and nimble. And while he may be struggling with his song choice now it was a good feeling to be able to dance to something he knew. It gave him an avenue to express himself in a way ballet usually didn’t allow.

He kept the song on repeat and kept running his routine. He would pause occasionally for some water but he wasn’t going to stop the music until he knew every single step deep in his bones. As he danced he wasn’t aware of time passing. Just the feeling of the routine becoming easier to follow and execute. As he neared the end of the routine again he braced himself for his final move. His professor had been pushing him to get a perfect cabriolé. Normally if this move was at the beginning of a routine Lance could nail it. It was different when it was at the end when Lance had already used up most of his energy.

Moving into devant he began the grand battement and then threw his second leg into the air, followed by his front leg. Watching in the mirror he felt a smile break out on his face. Looks like he finally nailed it. He did pirouette and then slid into fifth position, arms raised above his head and panting.

He lowered his arms and squatted, panting. That was the first time he had nailed that jump the entire time he had been rehearsing. It felt fucking fantastic. “Well hot damn, McClain.” Looking at himself in the mirror he smirked. “Lotor can eat my ass.”

A knock at the door made Lance straighten. Rubbing the back of his neck he met the eyes of a guy he had never seen before. Long, curly black hair. Deep blue eyes so dark they were almost violet. A scar on his face. Or a tattoo maybe? The guy had others running up and down his arms. Lance quirked a brow, “Can I help you with something?”

The guy looked at him, his expression deadpan. “Uh yeah. My buddies and I signed up to use this studio.”

Glancing up at the clock Lance saw that he had used the room for 15 minutes longer than he was supposed to. “Oh shit.” He moved over to his dance bag quickly, putting his Nikes back on. “My bad.” He stood and shoved some shit back in his dance bag, not bothering to change out of the tight leggings and cut off t-shirt he was wearing. As Lance moved toward the door he studied the mystery guy a bit longer. “You don’t really look like a dancer.” He said.

Shrugging the guy took his guitar case off his back and headed into the room. “All the practice rooms in the music building are taken until midnight. And the building closes at midnight, so.” He shrugged again.

“They are letting you practice music in here?”

“One of my friends knows the front desk guy. Said as long as we don’t disturb anyone then we are good to go.”

Lance smiled a bit, settling his bag more comfortably on his shoulder. “Cool. Well, sorry for using up some of your time.” He waved over his shoulder and headed down the hallway. Most of the other rooms were dark at this point in the day. Checking his phone he saw a few texts from Hunk, some Tiktoks from Pidge. That girl loved that app. She was on it so much Lance was surprised she got anything else done.

He waved to Brett, the front desk guy. Pausing for a second he leaned his elbows on the desk, “So Brett,” Lance turned on the charm. “You’re letting music people in to use our studio spaces now?”

Brett rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his phone, “Adam and his buddies are cool.”

“Adam, is that guy that just went up?”

“Na.” They looked at each other for a bit, “I think that dudes name is Keith. I think Keith is Adam’s boyfriend’s cousin or some shit.”

“Interesting.” Lance started to put in his ear buds and head out the door.

“Don’t get your hopes up McClain. That dude is a loner.”

He looked back, smirk firmly on his face. “You know me Brett. I love me a good loner.”

***

“How’d practice go?” Hunk asked as soon as Lance came in the door.

Lance dropped his bag and landed face down on the couch. “Good! I finally got that fucking cabriolé at the end of my routine. If I keep hashing it out over the weekend I’m confident I can nail it on Monday.”

“That’s great buddy. I made dinner, I left a plate for you in the microwave.”

“You are a fucking saint.” Lance sat up, running a hand through his hair. He should probably get a haircut over the weekend. It annoyed him to dance with longer hair. Suddenly he was struck with the image of that guy, Keith. His hair hung well below his shoulders. It was pretty fucking hot. Lance wondered briefly what kind of products he used in his hair.

“Something on your mind?” Hunk asked, sitting next to Lance on the couch.

He sighed. “Hm. Just some guy. I used the studio a bit too long and took up some of his time.”

“Another dancer?”

“No, some music guy. Brett is letting him use our studio space.”

Hunk hummed. “Interesting.” He looked at his phone. “Shit. I’m gunna be late for a study group.” Hurriedly Hunk put on his shoes and grabbed a book and some notebooks. “I’ll be back pretty late. These midterms are going to kill me.”

“Is Shay going to be there?” Lance asked, giggling when Hunk blushed.

“Yes, Lance. Shay is going to be there.” Hunk stopped at the doorway, “And if I’m lucky she’ll get coffee with me in the morning.”

“Go get ‘em killer!” Lance called after his roommate. Once he was alone he got up and wandered into the kitchen and found what Hunk had left for him. Homemade pizza and some garlic knots. He rolled his eyes and smiled. Hunk always knew when Lance was stressing out and would bake his favorite comfort foods. Flipping on the microwave he sat at a barstool by the counter and looked through some of the Tiktoks Pidge had sent.

It was only eight P.M. and he had nothing to do. It wouldn’t be the first Friday night that he would spend by himself. There was a paper he needed to finish too. The microwave beeped and he pulled the food out. He decided to feel bad about all the calories later. Maybe he could go on a run before he went to bed.

He returned to the barstool and ate quietly, just thinking. He couldn’t shake that guy from earlier. Maybe it was because he was out of his element whereas Lance had been completely comfortable. Or maybe it was the tattoos. Or the bored expression on his face. Shaking his head Lance finished eating and washed the dishes in the sink so Hunk wouldn’t have to worry about it.

He still felt incredibly restless so he got out his old running shoes and laced them up. He was still in his practice clothes from earlier and was too lazy to take them off just yet. Searching for his ear buds he tapped out his feet and clicked through some playlists. Eventually he settled on some 1975 and headed back out the door. His keys were tied up in his shoelaces so he wouldn’t forget them. He and Hunk lived on the fourth floor of this student apartment building and Lance bounded down the stairwell.

He passed other kids in the stairwell and they all gave him a once over from behind their phone screens. Lance was still buzzing with energy while other people were winding down. There would be parties all across campus tonight and for the rest of the weekend. People always went crazy right before midterms. And then they would get fall break. Lance was staying on campus. It was the only time he would get free reign of all the dance studios. Plus he had to do some work on campus for his scholarship.

Once he was outside he jumped up and down a couple of times and then set off in a slow jog. Maybe a quick circuit around the housing units would calm him down. _Robbers_ came on and Lance kicked up the volume. He’d seen The 1975 in concert around three times now. They were one of his favorite bands and he wasn’t ashamed to say that he cried like a kid whenever he saw this song live.

It was starting to cool down a bit finally as the sun went down. It always made Lance laugh at the difference between California natives and out of staters when fall rolled around. There were some kids in heavy jackets, obviously cold. But just a few feet away there was a group of kids in shorts and tank tops, soaking up the last bit of sun. Lance waved to a kid in one of his classes and turned a corner.

A blast of wind hit him and if he concentrated he could just make out the smell of the sea. Maybe the trio could make a quick weekend trip to San Fran. The ocean was colder up here than it was at home, but Lance was kind of desperate to see the water. Lance and his family were from Cuba originally, but they moved to Ventura, California just before Lance was born. He grew up in the water, surfing almost before he could walk. For a while he did some competitions, but then dance came into his life and he returned to surfing just for fun.

Frat Row was already in full swing as Lance jogged by. Every once in a while he would recognize some guy or girl he had had a thing with, but all those flings had fizzled out quickly. Lance just didn’t have time for a relationship. Maybe he didn’t even want one. All the fun involved capturing a person’s attention. He liked the game more than what came after winning.

He thought he was going to go for a short jog, but he was already 30 minutes in and didn’t want to stop. So he decided to loop back through campus. Passing the library once again he glanced up to some of the windows on the upper floors, trying to see if he could get a look at Hunk’s study group. But the windows were a bit too high up so he didn’t spot anything. 

Before he knew it he was passing by the studio building again, and he paused to catch his breath. Looking at his phone he saw that it was around 9 P.M. Again he wondered if they hot tattoo guy was still here. As he jogged away he couldn’t help one last backward glance, hoping to see him one more time.

***

Lance’s alarm went off the next morning at 8 A.M.

Groaning he flipped over in bed and slammed the off button. For a long time he set alarms on his phone but he would always snooze too many times and end up late to everything. So for his birthday last year Hunk had gifted Lance with an old alarm clock to keep by his bed. He stopped being late after that.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. If he wanted more than one hour in a studio he had to get there early. Rolling his neck he felt it crack a few times. Putting his feet on the ground he rolled his toes, listening to them crack. There was a new blister forming over an old one and he cringed a bit. Maybe he should pop it before he went in to the studio.

Hunk was still sleeping; Lance could hear his snoring from the other room. Lance must’ve been in bed when he got back last night. Quietly he grabbed some fresh dance clothes and headed for the bathroom he and Hunk shared. Their apartment was small, two bedrooms and a conjoined living room and kitchen. The bathroom was next to Lance’s room, so hopefully the shower wouldn’t wake Hunk up.

He started the shower and waited for it to heat up. He stuck in his contacts and brushed his teeth quickly and then hopped in the shower. Even though he was still sleepy he went through his skincare routine, washing his face and lathering up his face and neck with a moisturizer. Then he washed his hair and body and got back out the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He would have to shower again when he got home but he didn’t want to start practice smelling like an armpit.

Once he was dressed he went back to his room and shoved a couple different pairs of dance shoes in his bag. It wasn’t just the ballet routine he would work on today. He was also working on recreating Matty Healy’s dance from _Love It If We Made It_ for his jazz class. His jazz shoes were a must but he also wanted to try working the dance with dress shoes like Matty was wearing in the video.

Throwing on a hoodie and his running shoes he went to the kitchen and attempted to quietly make a smoothie. A banana, some strawberries, plain Greek yogurt and a touch a protein powder and milk. He blended it up quickly and then tossed some protein bars in his backpack and left the apartment.

Campus was a ghost town at this hour on a Saturday morning. He smiled at a woman walking her dog through campus and he stopped to pet it. “Hi buddy.” The woman moved on and Lance put his ear buds in. It was rare that he was seen on campus without them glued to his ears. He could already feel energy buzzing from the tips of his toes. Some of it was anxiety, he hoped most of it was just excitement. He had dealt with anxiety since he was kid. But he did a pretty good job at hiding it. Some of the only people in his life that knew about his anxiety issues were Hunk, Pidge, and his siblings Rachel and Marco. He didn’t really have a reason for hiding it from his parents other than they were getting older and the last thing he wanted was to worry them.

The studio was still closed so he rang the bell by the door and waited. “Who is it?” A tired voice a student worker asked.

“Hey Luce. Its Lance.”

“Oh hey!” Her voice brightened considerably, “I’ll buzz you in.”

Lance waited for the buzz and opened the door, bracing himself. Lucy was into Lance. They were in the same ballet class freshman year. She wasn’t terrible, but she wasn’t great either. All of her dancing lacked passion. They had been paired together for their final. They did Swan Lake. Ever since then she had had a huge crush on Lance. He did his best to treat her like he would anyone else but not give her ideas at the same time.

He made it up to the front desk and smiled tightly. “Morning.” He said.

“Hi!” It was obvious that she had just thrown her hair up into a messy bun and slapped her cheeks to bring in a bit of color. “You’re here early this morning.”

“Yeah. Gotta work on those midterm dances.”

Lucy nodded, her hair bouncing. “Oh yeah… me too. I’m really struggling with my tap routine.” She widened her eyes slightly, hoping he would take the hint.

Lance smiled again, avoiding her eyes. “Yeah I got a full day. I’ll be here until lunch and then I have homework. Then my classes tonight.”

“Right.” She sounded disappointed, “I forgot about your classes. How are they going?”

“Good. I just hope the parents stay out of my shit this weekend.” Lance tapped the top of her desk and headed for the stairs. “Good to see you Luce.”

“Y-yeah! I’ll be here!” She called after him.

Lance was excited for his classes tonight. He helped teach ballet at a studio a couple of blocks off campus. His Auntie knew the owner and helped set him up with a gig. It was supposed to be part time; he covered for a woman on maternity leave. But he got to stay after she came back. All the kids loved Lance.

He opened the door to the same studio he was in yesterday and sighed happily. Nothing pleased him more than an empty studio and plenty of time to dance. Setting down his dance bag he put his ballet shoes on and began to stretch out. He started out on the barre and went through the stretches on autopilot. Once his mother had walked in on him in his room and found him miming the stretches in his sleep.

He stretched for about twenty minutes, allowing time for his body to warm up. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed another student head into the room across from his. The shock of white hair was a dead giveaway. It was Lotor. Figured he’d be here this early in the morning too. They met eyes across the hallway and Lotor offered a polite smile. Lance nodded and then moved out of the other mans line of sight.

Connecting to the Bluetooth again he pulled up _Temperature_ but stopped short just before he hit play. Biting his lip he left his room and went across the hallway and knocked on Lotor’s door. “Hey.” He offered.

“Good morning.” Lotor was lacing into his pointe shoes.

“I’m going to be playing some music. Well, just one song. Over and over.” Lance laughed a bit. “Gotta practice, ya know. Lemme know if it starts to bother you.”

Lotor looked at him carefully for a bit. “Yeah. Yeah ok.” He stood, wrapping his hair into a tighter bun. “What are you working on?”

Lance rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorframe. “That stupid contemp piece for ballet three.”

“Ah, I’ve been struggling with that too.” Lotor crossed his arms over his chest. “I know modern ballet has been around for years but I find it hard to adapt.”

“Hm. Then ya know. The jazz midterm is on Wednesday so I want to polish that up too.”

Lotor sighed and rolled his neck. “I should rehearse mine as well.”

Lance paused awkwardly, then offered a smile, “So, uh. Yeah. I’ll be next door. Just throw a shoe or something if I get too annoying.”

“Yeah ok. Thanks McClain.”

He went back to his room and moved back to his phone. Clicking back to his song he turned it on, jumped up and down a few times and then went to the center of the floor to begin. He kept at it with the ballet until around 10 A.M. and then took a break to eat a protein bar and finish his smoothie. After about running the routine 30 times he finally felt confident in it. While he was rehearsing he could hear Lotor’s music as well. Somewhere a floor down loud hip-hop music was playing. The building was slowly coming back to life.

Stripping out of his joggers he put his jazz shoes on. Hunk liked to make fun of the spandex shorts he danced in, but they were comfortable and stayed out of his way. Though he did keep his hoodie on. There was a part in the routine where he flipped a hood on as he spun around. He wanted to test it to see if it looked completely ridiculous.

He had been studying the music video for _Love It If We Made It_ for a couple of weeks now. There wasn’t dancing throughout so he had to fill in the gaps where he was able. Turning on the song he went through the steps he had prepared. His favorite parts of this dance were the ones were he copied Healy entirely. The song had an 80’s tinge to it and Healy’s dancing reflected that. The moves favored the likes of Michael Jackson and Prince.

As the song was rounding out Lance knew he was getting into it, smiling and letting his body go. He kept at it for another hour or so. This dance didn’t need as much work as the others. Glancing at the clock he saw that it was close to noon. Someone else had the room reserved for a couple hours after him. He should probably start packing up. Biting his lip he looked at the clock one more time. Ah hell, it wouldn’t hurt to run it one more time.

Hoping over to his phone he turned on _Love It If We Made It_ and cranked the volume on the speakers a bit.

_Fucking in a car_

_Shooting heroin_

_Saying controversial things_

_Just for the hell of it_

Lance let it all go, adding in a few more head tosses and kicks and jumps than usual. This song screamed millennial angst and Lance ate it up. Music was just as important to him as dancing was. They could both express the same amount if you let them. By the time the song ended and he hit his last pose he was breathing hard.

He heard clapping from the doorway. When he looked up he was expecting to see Allura or maybe even Lotor. Instead he met the eyes of the same guy that had been here yesterday. “Oh. Hey.” Lance said, swallowing hard.

“Hey.” The guy actually smiled a bit, “That was pretty cool. The 1975, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” Lance pulled his hood off his head. “I went over time again didn’t I?”

He shook his head, “I’m a bit early.” His eyes widen a bit and Lance was surprised to see him flush. “Sorry if watching you was creepy. What am I saying? Of course it was creepy. I can go wait in the hall…”

“No!” Lance bit his lip, “No.” He said, more calmly, “Its cool. It helps to have someone watch every once in a while.” He went to his bag and dug around for his water bottle. “So what did you think? Honestly?”

The guy set his guitar case down, “It’s cool. You put some bits of the original dance in there didn’t you?”

Lance nodded, gulping down some water. “Yeah. I had to make a lot of it up myself but I wanted to keep the original vibe in there.” He watched the guy for a bit, then stuck out his hand, “I’m Lance, by the way.”

“Keith.”

They shook hands and Lance noticed that it was a scar on the guys face. But he also had very faint freckles. And a dimple in his right cheek. “Music building full again?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Some music conference for a bunch of high school kids. We’ll be back tomorrow but then we can leave your building alone.”

“Never said it was a problem.” Lance replied. He suddenly very aware that he was wearing his tiny as fuck dance spanx. “I’ve been here since like 8:30.”

“Jesus. It’s a miracle that I’m out of bed before noon.”

Lance laughed a bit, putting his jogger back on before putting his running shoes on. “Yeah well, with everyone getting ready for midterms the only time I could get a studio for more than an hour was early in the morning.” He stood, grabbing his dance bag, “I’m used to it anyways.”

“So you’re a dance major?”

“Yep. Well, double major technically. Dance and Dramatic Art.”

“Hm. Cool combo. What year are you?”

“Junior. What about you?”

“Same. Oh and, just music. Well music business really. But the majors are separate.” Keith pulled his hair into a sloppy mess at the back of his neck.

“Cool.” Lance smiled at Keith for a moment too long. “Oh, I’ll get out of your hair.”

“Yeah. Nice to officially meet you, Lance.”

Lance looked back and grinned. “Nice to meet you too Keith.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KEITH'S POV

**Keith**

“Shiro this is fucking stupid.”

“Well we don’t really have a choice kid.” Shiro said pointedly, “We can’t practice at Adam and I’s place anymore because of noise complaints and your studio is only just big enough for you. The music building is completely full until close.”

“I know that,” Keith sighed, hiking his guitar case up higher on his shoulder, “But do we really have to practice in the dance building?”

Keith heard Adam’s voice in the background, “Brett pulled some strings! We got a studio we can practice in if we don’t bug other people!”

Sidestepping to dodge a kid on a skateboard Keith sighed again. “Its almost midterms though. Won’t a dance… person need that space?”

“A dancer, Keith. They’re called dancers.”

“Shut up Shiro.” Keith neared the dance building, already feeling nerves wind up in his stomach. He had never once stepped foot in this building. “Are you guys going to get here soon?”

“We stopped for coffee!” Adam yelled again, his voice sounding closer this time.

“Seriously?”

“Yes! Don’t worry, we got you some, you grouchy son of a bitch!” Adam was laughing.

Shiro said quickly, “We should be there soon. Just wait for us ok?”

“Yeah, whatever.” Keith pulled open the door and nodded at the guy sitting at the front desk. He came to a lot of their gigs. “Brett.”

“Sup,” He nodded in acknowledgement. “You’re in room 303. You should be good to just go in.”

“Thanks.” Keith headed for the stairs. He felt awkward enough without having to wait for the elevator. There were already people giving him the side eye, making sure he knew he wasn’t welcome. Though he did suppose the black cut off, black jeans, combat boots, hair, tattoos and his overall vibe set him apart here. At least they only had to do this for the weekend.

Hiking up the stairs he tried to smile politely at people that passed him, including a pair of some of the most interesting people he had ever seen. They both had white hair; Keith honestly couldn’t tell if it was real or not. The girl’s skin was dark, her deep brown eyes snapped. The guy was more pale, a stark contrast to his partner. The girl was in a leotard, cardigan and skirt pulled over it. Legs warmers, (people still wore leg warmers?) and old running shoes. The guy had one a white tank top and tight black pants. They hardly acknowledged Keith as he passed; they were too engrossed in a conversation that included a lot of words Keith didn’t understand.

Finally reaching the third floor Keith walked along slowly, carefully reading the numbers near the doors. He wanted to make sure he got the right room. Didn’t want someone accidently walking in on him. 303 was at the end of the hallway, one of the bigger studios. He was about to open the door when he heard music coming from inside. He looked at his watch, it read 7:00 P.M. The door was made of glass so Keith was able to look in the room without being seen.

He didn’t recognize the song, but he liked it. Pulling out his phone he had Siri listen for a bit until she identified the song as _Temperature_ by some band called Milk. Keith smirked a bit. Then he finally caught a glimpse of the guy inside the room. He was moving more gracefully than Keith had ever seen a person move. He had dark brown hair on the shaggy side. His dark skin nicely set off the white cut off shirt he was wearing. The pants he was wearing were similar to what the dude with the white hair was had on. As the guy spun around Keith caught glimpses of vibrate blue eyes.

It was completely enchanting. Keith had seen a lot of dancing in his time playing shitty bars in and around California, but nothing like this. He guessed it was ballet, but not the rigid shit he remembered watching with his parents as a kid. While he didn’t recognize any of the moves the guy was pulling he found it beautiful. The music was loud enough that Keith was able to see how the guy was using it to form the routine.

Keith watched for a while longer until he finally looked back down at his watch. 7:15. Had he really just spent 15 minutes watching this kid dance? He saw a text from Shiro; they were back on campus and heading his way. What should he do? Yell at the guy? Sit outside until Shiro got here and make him do it?

Slowly he approached the door and opened it, then knocked. He faintly made out the guy saying, _“Lotor can eat my ass.”_ He fought the urge not to laugh out loud. Leaning against the doorway he watched the guy straighten up, cocking a brow at him. “Can I help you with something?”

Keith blinked. The guys voice was a lot deeper than he thought it would be. He then realized the guy was waiting for him to answer. “Uh yeah. My buddies and I signed up to use this studio.”

“Oh shit.” The guy said, eyes going wide. “My bad.” He went over to a bag and took off the shoes he was wearing and struggled into others. Then he got up and headed for the door.

Keith made out a faint sheen of sweat on the guys shoulders and face. _“Hot.”_ Keith thought vaguely.

“You don’t really look like a dancer.”

Keith put his guitar case down and shrugged. “All the practice rooms in the music building are taken until midnight. And the building closes at midnight, so.” Now that the dancer was closer he noticed how sharp his jawline was. All he managed was another shrug.

“They are letting you practice music in here?”

“One of my friends knows the front desk guy. Said as long as we don’t disturb anyone then we are good to go.” Keith wanted to apologize for kicking the guy out of the room but stopped himself.

“Cool. Well, sorry for using up some of your time.” The guy spun on his heel, making even that look graceful. Then he waved and he was gone.

Leaning his back up against the wall Keith thought about that exchange. It wasn’t the most awkward he had ever experienced, but it was still pretty bad. Mostly he felt bad that he watched the guy like a fucking psycho. He was still lost in thought when Shiro and Adam finally stumbled into the room. “Hey kid, sorry for being late!”

Keith took the coffee Shiro handed him and took a grateful sip. He had three cups of coffee already today, but he would never say no to a good iced coffee from Altea. “We only have this space until 9.”

“Its only 7:30 calm down.” Adam set down his massive bag. He couldn’t bring his entire drum kit in here but he brought a snare and a cymbal at least. “Want me to go get an amp from the car?”

“You didn’t bring one with you?” Keith asked, a little annoyed.

“We weren’t sure if we were allowed to bring them in.” Shiro said. He was getting his base out and tuning it. “And I thought you only brought your acoustic anyways.”

Keith glared at his cousin but got his guitar out and started to strum a bit. This guitar had belonged to his dad. He left it to Keith after he died. The guitar was a deep purple, the neck black. It was gorgeous and Keith loved to use it for acoustic shoes. “This sucks.” They didn’t even have chairs. “Are we absolutely sure the music building is full?”

“We tripled checked.” Adam said in a singsong.

Keith groaned again and gulped down some more coffee. “Remind me what time the gig is tomorrow night?”

“8 P.M. Another guy is gunna play some songs before us.” Adam looked around the room; “I’m gunna go see if I can find some chairs.”

Shiro strummed some chords and then took a sip of his black coffee. Keith had never seen him drink anything other than plain black coffee. “So when are you asking?” Keith watched his cousin closely.

Shiro nearly choked on the sip of coffee he just took. “Jesus Keith! Give a guy a little warning.”

Shrugged Keith pulled the guitar strap over his shoulder. “You’ve had the ring for three months now.”

He blushed, “I’m waiting for the right time.”

“The right time?” Keith chuckled, “You guys just took a _very_ romantic weekend trip up to Seattle.”

“I thought about it but…” Shiro glanced back at the door to make sure Adam wasn’t nearby, “I don’t know. I keep chickening out. What if he says no?”

Keith looked at Shiro for a long moment. “You guys have been together for almost four years. He’s not gunna say no.”

“I just get scared.”

Keith noticed Adam about to struggle through the door with a couple of chairs. He shook his head and smiled. Those two were meant for each other. Adam and Shiro were best friends for years before they finally wised up and got together. Keith thought they were annoying when they were just friends, but now they were even worse. But it was nice to see. Shiro deserved someone incredible like Adam. “I found chairs!” Adam said merrily.

“Alright. What songs should we run?” Shiro asked, he figured out how to hook up his base to the speakers in the room. “We can’t do everything since we don’t have a proper setup.”

Adam gave Shiro a chair and kissed just behind his ear before he went to get his small kit figured out. Shiro smiled at him and Keith had to roll his eyes and look away. “Um, should we run Natural? And maybe Never You. We’ve been struggling with the key changes lately.”

  
“Whatever you say Mr. Bossy.” Adam smirked at Keith and then they got to work.

It was weird trying to practice in a space not made for music. They were hyperaware of how much noise they were making and what they lacked. There was a bit in Natural where Keith needed his keyboard, but he tried to make due with the piano that was in the corner of the room. One wall was also entirely mirrors and it bugged Keith to have to look at himself while they practiced. He did all the main vocals for Page Ten, Adam did backup when he needed to. But the one thing that bugged Keith more than anything was having to look at himself when he sang. He had begged Shrio to try and find another singer but he had refused. “You got wicked vocals cousin. No one else is going to be able to match our sound.”

So they did their best until about 8:45. Shiro rolled his neck and sighed, “Ok guys we should wrap it up here. I have a huge paper I need to start before midterms.”

Adam and Shiro were seniors at Berkeley. Adam was an English major and Shiro was doing the same thing Keith was, double majors in Music and Business. At first Keith hadn’t wanted to follow his cousin to Berkeley, but after visiting other schools all along the West coast he found that Berkeley felt the most like home. He had grown up in LA; his dad was had been a producer over at Dirty Hit records when he was still alive. His mom did freelance photography for all kinds of shit, album covers, billboards, you name it. She still did an odd job here and there but she hadn’t been quite the same after dad died. Keith shook off the memories and put his guitar away slowly. “You guys just wanna meet at Altea at 7?”

“Yep. Sound check will probably take a bit longer if another guy is opening for us.” Adam finished packing up his stuff and then grabbed Shiro’s hand. “And noon tomorrow, same studio. Brett managed to get a couple of hours on Sunday too if we want to use them.”

“Thanks man.” Keith watched them leave and then slowly made his way downstairs. There were a couple of studios that were still lit up as people practiced but most of them were dark. This building was also open until midnight so he supposed some people could come in later. He found his thoughts traveling back to the guy he had seen hours earlier. Briefly he wondered if he would get to see him again. But Berkeley was a huge campus; the chances of running into him again were slim to none.

Keith stepped out the building and took a left; unaware that the dancer he was so caught up with had just jogged by moments earlier.

***

When Keith got back to his tiny studio apartment he was hot and hungry. He carefully set down his guitar case by the front door and then moved about two steps into his kitchen. The studio apartment he lived in was tiny, only about 600 square feet. His kitchen, living room and bathroom were all on the bottom part of the apartment. His “bedroom” was lofted above the bathroom and part of the kitchen. Though he managed to fit a full sized bed up on the loft. And by bed it was just a box spring and mattress sitting on the floor of the loft. His bookcase was shoved at the end of the mattress. It was mostly only music books, some odd and ends here and there.

There was a small couch shoved up against the wall to the left the front door. But most of the living room was dedicated to Keith’s desk, computer and mixing boards. Keith mixed all the music for Page Ten in his apartment. They used the garage of Adam and Shiro’s house to record. His keyboard stood on the wall just behind the front door. There was a tiny closet between the kitchen and the bathroom. Most of his clothes were shoved in there. A chest of drawers was in the bathroom and the rest of his clothes were in there.

Shiro liked to make fun of how tiny Keith’s apartment was, but he enjoyed it just fine. He didn’t need a lot to keep him happy. He opened his fridge and looked around for a bit and then settled on just eating some carrots. Taking about ten steps he crossed the length of his apartment and collapsed on the couch. He should probably mix some backing tracks before the gig tomorrow night. They couldn’t play everything at their shows, Keith played guitar, sang and played keyboard when he was able. Shiro played base and keyboard. Adam sang backing vocals and played drums. Backing tracks were essential when playing live.

Keith glanced around at some of the framed posters he had on his walls. Most of them were covers of his favorite albums blown up at least five times. He had one of The 1975 that was signed by all the guys. Page Ten played at a festival that The 1975 opened for. Keith sort of met the band by accident but it was incredible. Keith got to talk lyrics with Matty and exchange some keyboard tips with Adam. There was another poster hanging above his bed was signed by the guys from Bad Omens. Keith was grateful for all the connections and experiences that Page Ten had had so far. In order to make it big in this industry you had to know the right people.

But if Page Ten didn’t blow up Keith had backup plans. Maybe he could be a radio DJ. Or work at a record company. Either way he wasn’t really worried about the future. He had been a go with the flow type of person his whole life. He got into music because of his parents but he had already taken further than either of them had. Keith suddenly felt a pang in his heart. How he wished his dad could see him now. His father always thought Keith could go far.

His phone buzzed and he looked down and saw a text from Shiro.

_Yo, we managed to secure that warehouse three weeks from now. We can finally film the bulk of the music video for Natural_ 9:10 P.M.

_Sick. We still need a dancer for the instrumental bits_ 9:11 P.M.

_We could ask Brett. He could probably hook us up with someone_ 9:12 P.M.

Keith was going to respond but his brain went instantly to the dancer he met earlier. Well, they didn’t really “meet”. They exchanged some words and then the guy left. Maybe if Keith got lucky Keith would run into him. His fingers hovered over his keypad before he finally sent-

_Yeah, I might know a guy. I’ll let you know_ 9:16 P.M.

***

Rolling out of bed at 10 A.M. the next morning Keith made a pot of coffee and drank two cups before he finally felt like he could function. He eventually wandered into the shower and stood for about ten minutes before he went about the monumental task of washing his hair. He was beyond the point of no return at this point. It was more about keeping his hair long out of spite. It also rested in a delicate spot of perfectly curly or frizzy.

Once he got out of the shower he wrapped his hair up in a towel and then went to go brush his teeth. As he looked at himself in the mirror he felt that sharp edge of disgust. He was too thin. It looked like his skin was clinging to his bones. Not to mention how pale he was. If he spent more than an hour out in the sun without sunscreen he burned. Though when his hair dried right it hung around his face and framed it somewhat decently.

His tattoos were cool though. One arm was just line art and the other was more artistic pieces. He had been saving up for a long time and was finally ready to get the massive piece he had planned for his right thigh. Ever since he was little he had loved tarot cards. He was going to get The Fool on the front of his thigh and Death on the back.

Looking at the clock he noticed it was about 11. If he got dressed and headed out he could stop by Altea and drop some things off and probably get some more coffee. Shaking his hair out he found a clean cut off t-shirt and black jeans and pulled them on. Then of course his black vans. He’d probably need to buy a new pair soon. These shoes had been through some shit.

Back in his living room he wrapped up some cords and other small equipment that he could fit in his travel bag. He swung his guitar onto his back and patted down his pockets to make sure he had his keys, wallet and phone. Then he grabbed his travel bag and headed out his apartment. He had to laugh at himself, most of his habits seemed extremely heterosexual, but it was gayer than Elton John and Hayley Kiyoko combined. Though he didn’t wear the flashy clothes or carry himself in a way that would make people outwardly expect it. He was just a simple guy.

Altea wasn’t far from his place, and he was glad he walked. He had a motorcycle, another gift form his dad after he passed. But it was over at Shiro and Adam’s place for the time being. The only time he drove it was when he really needed to think.

He rounded a corner and opened the door to Altea, the bell above the door jingling merrily. “Keith!” Rolo screamed from behind the counter.

“Jesus Rolo.” Keith squinted and headed up to the counter.

“Its 11:30 A.M. sunshine. Other people have been up for _hours._ Including me. I’ve been up since 5.”

“Did I ask?” Keith said sarcastically.

Rolo smiled brightly and tucked a strand of hair behind Keith’s ear. “Never change.”

He rolled his eyes and set his travel bag on the counter. “Is it ok if I leave some cords and stuff in the backroom?”

“Of course. Anything for my Keithy boy.” Rolo turned his attention to another costumer just behind Keith. “You know where to go.” He said.

Keith got out of the way the old woman behind him and walked back around the counter to the backroom. Rolo’s cheerful voice followed Keith and he smirked a bit. He and Rolo used to date. They were together for three years. It had been a solid and stable relationship, but eventually it had gotten _too_ stable. They ended the romantic side of their relationship on freakishly good terms and they were still very close. Still very touchy, and flirty, what have you. Keith didn’t miss being in a relationship with Rolo per say, but he was starting to feel that creep of loneliness. He was grateful that Rolo was still in his life, but he missed that intimate connection.

Sighing heavily he set down his travel bag and put a label on it just in case. Then he headed back out to the front where Rolo was working on a couple drinks. Keith went up to the register and punched his regular order in and was about to put some money in when Rolo came up behind him and closed the register. “On me this morning.”

“Rolo, come on. You say this every time I come in here.”

Rolo put his chin on Keith’s shoulder and grinned. “Let me make my favorite boy his favorite drink for free.”

“Then I get to take you out for lunch on Sunday.” Keith retorted.

“Sounds _lovely._ ” Rolo drawled. He finished the drinks he had been working on and then started up on Keith’s. Keith always drank tall caramel lattes with an extra shot. Where else was he supposed to get his energy?

Keith walked around to the other side of the counter and watched Rolo pull the shots of espresso and get the milk ready. “Are you coming to the gig tonight?”

“I can’t tonight, I’m so sorry. I have rehearsal tonight.”

“Oh right, I forgot.”

“The guy playing Claudius is such a dick. He literally asked if we could change the ending so he lives.” Rolo was playing Horatio a company playhouse rendition of _Hamlet._ Rolo was extremely proud that he got the director to agree to playing up Hamlet and Horatio’s relationship. They were playing it as an unrequited love on both fronts. “Like seriously? The whole point of the goddamn play is that Hamlet is supposed to kill Claudius.” Rolo poured the milk into Keith’s cup then carefully put a lid on top. “Are you doing anything right now? I get off in like 15 minutes.”

Keith took the cup and adjusted his guitar case. “I’ve got practice with Adam and Shiro. We got a studio on campus reserved from noon till three.”

“I thought you told me the music building was full?”

“Adam pulled some strings and got us a space in the dance building.”

Rolo raised both brows. “Oh. Interesting.”

“Yeah it kinda sucks. But we’ll be back in our regular space on Monday.” Keith glanced at his watch. “Speaking of which I better go.”

“Ok!” Rolo leaned over the counter and planted a wet kiss on Keith’s cheek. “Good look at your gig tonight.”

Keith rolled his eyes but smiled. He waved as he left the coffee shop. He drank his coffee as he walked along, taking in the sights. Berkeley was in a gorgeous area and luckily California didn’t get super cold. There were quite a few people out and about on campus, some clearly on their way to study or get ready for midterms. There was a fair share of walks of shame, lots of girls in mini skirts and tiny tops, makeup either washed off or all over their faces. The guys weren’t as easy to spot, but Keith knew what a hung over college boy looked like. The thousand yard stares and rumpled clothing were usually dead giveaways.

The dance building came into view and Keith could see people practicing on the upper floors. He wondered if the hot guy from yesterday would be here again. When he opened the door of the building he noticed a different person at the front desk. He approached the girl slowly, she looked ticked off. “Hey.” He offered.

She quirked a brow, “Um, are you looking for the music building?”

Keith managed a small laugh, “Yeah I know. Its full this weekend. My friend Adam called ahead and got permission for us to use a room. I’m just not sure what floor…” He shrugged.

The girl sighed and looked down at the schedule in front of her. “You said Adam?”

“Yeah, Adam White.”

“Ok. You’re in room 303. Do you need help finding it?”

Keith smiled tightly, “No. But thank you.” He walked away quickly, keeping his head down. At least he had known Brett yesterday. God he couldn’t wait until he was back in the comfort of the studios in the music building. He was going to be in the same room that he was yesterday so he headed up to the third floor. Checking his watch he saw that he was still a bit early but maybe he would get lucky and the room would empty.

When he got to the third floor he realized that wouldn’t be the case. In room 306 the guy with the white hair was dancing to some classical song Keith didn’t recognize. His dancing was totally different than the other guys. White hair dude was sharp and rigid but it still looked just as beautiful. But then the lines of a familiar song caught his ear. Peaking through the door of 303 he saw the same beautiful guy from yesterday, and he was dancing to _Love It If We Made It_ by The 1975.

Keith instantly recognized the moves from the music video, admiring how the guy improvised in the parts where there hadn’t been dancing originally. It looked like he was having fun, there was a wide smile on his face and it seemed like he was giving the dance his all. As it came to an end he slowly walked forward to the mirror, staring himself down. Keith felt a throb in his gut.

Then before he could stop himself he was clapping, instantly regretting it as the guy looked up at him. “Oh. Hey.” The guy said, still panting a bit.

Keith cringed at himself but forced a response, “Hey, That was pretty cool. The 1975, right?” Inwardly he was screaming, _“Of course it’s the 1975 you creepy ass fuck.”_

Luckily the guy grinned, “Oh, yeah.” He pulled his hood off his head, shaking out his beautiful brown hair, “I went over time again didn’t I?”

Keith shook his head quickly, “I’m a bit early.” They looked at each other for a bit and Keith found himself stumbling over another string of words. “Sorry if watching you was creepy. What am I saying? Of course it was creepy. I can go wait in the hall…”

“No! Its cool. It helps to have someone watch every once in a while.” The guy was searching for something and pulled out a water bottle, “So what did you think? Honestly?”

“It’s cool. You put some bits of the original dance in there didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I had to make a lot of it up myself but I wanted to keep the original vibe in there.” His blue eyes snapped and he held out a hand, “I’m Lance, by the way.”

“Keith.” He smiled, _“Lance. So his name is Lance.”_

“Music building full again?”

“Yeah. Some music conference for a bunch of high school kids. We’ll be back tomorrow but then we can leave your building alone.” Keith watched as Lance leaned down to put on other shoes, desperately trying not to let his gaze linger on the fucking _booty_ shorts Lance was wearing.

They talked for a bit more, exchanging more basic information like what year they were, their majors. Keith wanted him to stay, but smiled happily when Lance said it was nice to meet him. “Yeah, nice to meet you too Lance.”

Lance waved as he left and Shiro and Adam came in just moments later. “Who was that?” Shiro asked.

Keith fought off a blush. “Just some guy.”

“Do you know the guys name?” Adam asked, already starting to unpack his small kit.

“Lance.”

“He’s hot.” Adam offered.

Keith really blushed that time. “Do you guys have a thing or something?” Shiro asked.

“God no, I hardly know the guy.”

“Hm.” Shiro started to tune his base, “And what happened to there only being _one_ gay cousin?”

“I came out before you did.” Keith said dryly.

Adam laughed out loud, “No respect for his elders, this one.”

***

Several hours later Keith was back at Altea. He had been there for about an hour now, helping the opener set up his stuff and then rechecking his own shit. Page Ten hadn’t played for a hot minute and Keith was pretty pumped. People had been filing into the coffee house for a while now, so hopefully the crowd would just get larger.

Page Ten was decently popular, they had over 100,000 followers on Instagram and their monthly listeners on Spotify just kept growing. They had toured all over the West coast and wanted to go even further the next time they toured.

“Hey, one more mic check.” Keith told the opener. The guy smiled and nodded. He was friend of Adam’s and he seemed pretty nice. Keith went back to the soundboard and signaled the guy.

“Check, check, check.” He said, pointed upwards. Keith pushed up the volume and after a bit they were both finally satisfied with the mic volume. Adam and Shiro came out of the back room and double-checked their instruments.

“What time is it?” Shiro asked.

“8:10.”

Adam nodded slowly and rested his elbow on Keith’s shoulder. “Starting fashionably late as always.”

Keith went up to the mic and the room quieted down significantly. “Hey everyone. Thanks for coming out tonight. We have a pretty cool opener tonight, so everyone give it up for David Newark.”

The room erupted in applause and David headed up the mic with his guitar. He was going to do about a thirty minute acoustic set. Then Page Ten would play for about 45 minutes to an hour. They had enough material to play that long. Usually they would just gauge the crowd to see how long they should play.

Keith watched the room as David played, noticing everyone seemed to be having a great time. David was good. His sound reminded Keith of Cigarettes After Sex. Another brilliant band Keith had seen before.

He found that he wished Rolo were here. He hadn’t missed a Page Ten set in a long ass time. “What are you thinking about?” Shiro asked in a low voice.

Keith shrugged, “Rolo can’t make it tonight. I’m just kinda bummed.”

Shiro patted Keith’s shoulder but didn’t say anything. He understood where Keith and Rolo’s friendship stood, but he thought they shouldn’t have broken up. They used to argue about it right after Keith and Rolo broke up, but Shiro had lightened up a bit as the years passed.

David finished his set up after playing one extra song and then left the small stage for Page Ten. The three guys made their way up to the stage and set up their final cords and did another sound check. Keith looked out at the crowd and grinned behind his mic. Altea was on the bigger side, and there had to be at least 80 people packed in tight. There were still two baristas behind the bar serving coffee, soda, and alcohol. It was a good night.

“Sorry for making you guys wait.” Keith said. It was just around 8:45. “We’re Page Ten. I see some familiar faces out there, so everyone say hello to Lucas, you fucking bastard.” Lucas catcalled Keith and the crowd laughed. “We’re going to play some old stuff, some not so old stuff and maybe if you’re lucky some new stuff.”

Adam laughed into his mic, banging his sticks together to amp up the crowd.

“Thanks for coming out tonight, and I guess… here we go.” Keith broke into the opening chords of one of their first songs, _Fucking Crybaby._ Even if it wasn’t the biggest gig they had ever played, Keith still loved performing more than anything. Being up on a stage and playing shit he wrote and seeing people react to it, it felt great. A small group formed up by the stage and everyone was dancing. Keith let the base line and drums take over and he pulled his hair into a sloppy bun and put his mouth right up by the mic.

_I’m fucking sick_

_What happened to you?_

_Can’t handle the tears in your eyes_

_We came so far_

_Only for you to kick me_

_When I was already down_

Keith wrote this song a few years ago and sometimes the lyrics made him cringe, but the crowd was eating it up. A lot of people were singing along. If Keith had to try to describe Page Ten’s sound he’d put it between EP 1975 and My Chemical Romance or Fallout Boy. There was bit of grudge, pop rock, indie and metal. Their sound was unique and did require a special kind of audience, but they were lucky to have a pretty solid fan base.

About ten minutes into their set Keith was really feeling it. His head swaying from side to side, hopping up and down at the mic, singing his heart out. A thirty second back track played in between _If You Say_ and _Natural._ This was going to be the first time they were playing _Natural_ live. Keith grabbed a water bottle and downed about half of it. He put the bottle back down and pushed his guitar to his back and stood at the keyboard. He looked up and blew some hair out his face and noticed a new person walking into Altea.

Oh. _Oh._

It was Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there was a lot of repeating dialogue in this chapter, it won't be like that all the time. I just wanted to show some of those conversations from both sides. Moving forward you'll only experience a scene one time! 
> 
> See ya next chapter.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LANCE IS GENERALLY FLUSTERED

**Lance**

Lance sighed tiredly as he walked toward the dance studio he worked at. Don’t get him wrong, he adored that job, but he was handling a lot right now. He felt good about his dance midterms, but he still had tests to study for. Monday was the ballet midterm, then Wednesday the jazz midterm. Tuesday and Thursday he had tests he was taking for his Dramatic Art major.

Passing by a Starbucks the smell of coffee teased his nostrils and he glanced inside. There wasn’t a line and he was a little early for his class. Normally he tried to support local businesses but Altea was in the opposite direction. He came up to the counter and smiled at the teen waiting to take his order. “Hey. Can I just get an iced white chocolate mocha with an extra shot?”

“Of course!” The kid said. He had a slit shaved into his eyebrow and a septum piercing. Lance was a little jealous. Because he wanted to go into dance he couldn’t really get piercings or tattoos. Well, he had the first letter of his families names tattooed almost on the very bottom of his foot, but that was all he was risking to get. “I’ll have that ready for you at the end of the counter,” The kid was saying, “Can I get a name?”

“Lance.” He replied, smirking.

The kid nodded and scribbled the name down and went about ringing Lance up and making his drink. Lance drifted down to the other end of the counter and watched the people passing outside. God he was exhausted. But he just needed to get through midterms and then fall break would allow him a chance to wind down before finals. “Lance!” The kid said, sliding the drink toward him.

Lance grabbed it and put in a straw, “You’re a saint.” He winked and then hiked his dance bag up on his shoulder and then left the store, gratefully sucking down some of the coffee. The amount of sugar outweighed the energy he would get from the caffeine but he decided to feel bad about it later.

Allura had said the same thing earlier today while they were studying in the library. “Listen, I’m so good about what I eat and drink _every day._ Let me enjoy these four shots of caffeine in peace.”

As he neared the studio Lance tried working up some energy. If he greeted his kids any different than usual they would pick up on it easily and wouldn’t leave him alone about it. The studio was a small two-story brick building, sandwiched between a Walgreens and a law office. The first floor contained the office and a small recital space for when the kids put on programs. Upstairs there were three small studios, the smallest being used for private lessons only. And of course the dance moms sat just outside the studios to watch rehearsal. Lance felt ready to handle his kids, but not their parents.

Walking into the building Lance clocked in, saying hello to the nice old woman that ran the front desk. “Hello Lance dear! Ready for midterms?”

“I think Mrs. C. I practiced for about four hours this morning.”

“Bless your heart. Make sure you get enough sleep!”

He waved as he went up the stairs, “I’ll try my best!”

Once he was upstairs he smiled tightly at the parents, getting out his phone so they wouldn’t try to pull him into conversation. Opening the door to studio two he was greeted by a chorus of “Hi Mr. McClain!”

Grinning he set his bag and coffee down and squatted, opening his arms and the five kids in his class came charging at him. Soon he was enveloped in a large, sweaty hug. Some of the tension seeped from his shoulders. “Hey guys. How is everyone doing today?”

“Good!” One little girl named Tiffany tugged at the sleeve of the light sweatshirt he was wearing, “Did you bring me coffee?” She asked.

Lance laughed, “No, Tiff. Coffee is only for adults.”

“But I _am_ an adult!” She puffed out her chest and stamped a foot.

“Hon, you’re only five.”

Tiffany rolled her eyes and scampered off to begin stretching. The four other kids in this class were all boys, so Tiffany had to deal with a lot. Little James was extremely shy and it had taken two whole weeks before he had even dared say hello to Lance. But he was a really serious kid and Lance could already see how talented he was. Wesley and Jean were twins, each had a different hair color, Wes was blond and Jean had brown hair. That was the only way Lance was able to tell them apart. Then finally Luke, who was fond of saying, “My moms really like Star Wars.”

Lance stood and clapped his hands. “Alright guys, get your pointe shoes on and head over to barre.” He sat down on the floor and got his own pointe shoes on, briefly massaging a sore muscle in his left calf. He would have to stretch carefully. The last thing he wanted was to pull something right before midterms. When he took off his tennis shoes and socks he noticed his pinky toe on his right food was bleeding. Sighing to himself he got a Band-Aid out of his bag and wrapped up the toe carefully. A small hand covered his. “Are you ok Mr. McClain?” James asked.

“Yeah, I’m ok kid. I’m just practicing a lot right now.” He smiled and cuffed James on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about me.” The rest of the kids were waiting at the barre, making last minute adjustments to their shoes and clothes. “Alright, lets run through the simple stuff.” Lance positioned himself at the barre facing his students, “First position. Second position. Third, fourth.” He watched as the kids moved, “Wes, bring your arm up higher for fourth.” Wes made the correction, “Alright, and fifth.”

The kids were excited; they had a recital coming up in two weeks. Another reason Lance was staying home during fall break. It had taken Lance a bit to come up with the song but he finally chose on M.A.Y. In the Backyard by Ryuichi Sakamoto. It was simple piano piece and one that the kids could have fun with.

The rehearsal lasted two hours and by the end of it Lance felt ready to drop dead. He watched his students run through their routine one last time and then clapped his hands. “Great job today guys. Remember we only have one practice next week since I have midterms. Make sure to practice at home. All your parents have the music on their phones so they can help.”

The kids scampered over to their bags to put on regular shoes and Lance leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He was going to go straight home and pass out. He had early rehearsal in the morning again. But it wasn’t for midterms. The school always entered a couple of duets in local dance competitions and he and Allura were competing in a couple of weeks. They hadn’t even begun to plan their dance so they were going to hash some stuff out in the morning.

He felt a hand tugging at his shirt. James was staring back up at him, brown eyes full of concern. “My mom says you look tired.” He said very seriously.

Lance glanced outside the studio and saw James’ mother give a little wave. He forced a smile, “Don’t worry about me, James. College can be kind of rough sometimes. Once midterms are over I’ll be back to normal!”

James quirked a brow and it looked ridiculously adorable on his little face. “What are midterms?”

“The mean college professors make us take a bunch of practice tests before the big final ones.” Lance said, squatting to be at the same level as the boy. “But we have to take them very seriously, otherwise our grades could be affected.”

“Oh.” James patted Lance’s cheek. “Tell your professors to stop being so mean!”

Lance ruffled the boy’s hair, “Will do, kid. Now go on, mom is waiting.” James ran out to his waiting mother and took her hand and together they left the studio. The other kids were gone just as soon and Lance suddenly felt a pang for home. It had been a long time since he had seen his own mother. She was a special woman; she knew about Lance’s sexuality and was fine with it. She had just warned Lance to be careful. But Lance knew deep down his mother didn’t approve of what he was trying to do with his life.

And it wasn’t like Lance was stupid, he knew how incredibly hard it was to make in the dance industry. But he wasn’t after fame, he just wanted to dance. It would be the best bonus in the world to make it big. Slipping down to the floor Lance took off his pointe shoes and put his old tennis shoes back on. His toe had bled through the bandage but he ignored it for now. He had heavier duty stuff at home he could use.

He turned off the lights and clocked back out and headed back home. It was dark out by now and Lance put in headphones and headed down the street. There was a short cut he could use to get home so he turned left instead of right. The song that came up on shuffle struck a nerve and he doubled checked to see what it was. _“Huh.”_ He thought. Another song by Milk. This one called _A Little More._ Maybe he could have Allura listen to it to see what she thought.

As he walked along Lance noticed a large number of cars parked along the side streets. This was a residential area so maybe everyone was home from work. But the more he paid attention he found that there weren’t any parking spots left. A lot of people in this area rode their bikes everyone. Racking his brain he couldn’t remember if there was something going on somewhere on campus tonight.

A block later he got his answer. Altea was still open, but not as brightly lit as usual. But he was able to make out flashing lights of many different colors. Altea must be hosting a local band or something. Pausing outside the door he debated if he should go in and see what was up. Exhaustion pulled at the corners of his eyes but he thought, _“Oh who gives a shit. I can take a nap after rehearsal tomorrow if I need to.”_

Opening the door he was stopped by an employee of Altea for five dollars that he dug out of his wallet. The employee looked at his I.D. and put a large X on the back of his hand. She leaned in close to his ear she shouted over the music, “We’re serving alcohol tonight if you’re interested!”

“Thanks!” Lance called back. He moved further away from the door and glanced around. There were quite a few people in here. Grinning he thought, _“Good for the band.”_ Finally he looked up toward the small stage in the corner of the room. The lights flashed in his eyes for a moment and he had to squint but he made out a familiar figure. It was that hot guy from the dance building. Keith.

Lance sat there staring, not even trying to hide it. Of course he knew Keith was into music, the guy had told him that much himself. But seeing him perform was like looking a different person entirely. His hair was swept up off his face and tied in a loose knot at the back of his head. Stray strands fell out and clung to his face. Again he was wearing black jeans and black vans and tonight it was a black cut off instead of a white one. A guitar was slung over his shoulder and he was currently hunched over a keyboard, clearly feeling the music. Lance was enchanted.

He didn’t recognize the other two guys on stage, but Keith and the guy playing base guitar looked really similar. Maybe they were brothers? The guy on drums was insanely hot as well, whipping his hair up out of his face and twirling his sticks around. Keith looked up from the keyboard and grabbed the mic in front of him and started to sing and Lance felt like his brain exploded. Keith’s voice was like nothing he had ever heard before. It was raspy and deep, giving off a Matty Healy or Cigarettes After Sex vibe. Lance listened to the lyrics closely.

_Such a pale face_

_Looking back at me_

_Fear and longing_

_Makes me fucking sick_

Lance leaned over to the guy next to him. “What’s this band called?”

“Page Ten!” The guy called back. “They’re fucking incredible!” He moved closer to the stage and Lance looked back up the stage, baffled.

Then Keith looked in his general direction and they made eye contact. Lance blinked, then offered a small wave. And then Keith fucking _smirked_ and tossed his head and Lance felt it right in his gut. The song came to an end and the guys on stage paused, panting. Keith went back up to the mic. “That was one of our new songs, Residue. You guys have been patient for long enough, we’re pretty fucking pumped to say we got another EP on the way.”

The crowd around Lance all cheered and whistled. “We can’t tell you when it’s going to be released yet, but we are dropping Residue officially next Friday.” Keith moved his guitar back around to the front of his body. “But I’ll stop talking,” Again the crowd cheered, “How about we play some of our really old angsty bullshit?” Keith asked.

The band ripped into another song, Keith singing his heart out and the guy on drums doing backing vocals. Lance wasn’t really aware of time passing as he watched Page Ten perform. They had almost intoxicating energy and it got the room moving. This was a lot different from small local shows Lance had gone to before. Usually the band would have some diehard supporters dancing in the front while everyone else politely watched from further back in the room. But not this crowd. Many people were singing along and almost everyone was dancing.

Lance let people bump into him and jostle around and soon he found that he was in the middle of the floor directly in front of Keith. Keith noticed this and smiled into the mic in Lance’s direction. A girl next to him clearly thought the smile was meant for her and turned to her friend and shouted, “Did you see that? He smiled at me again!”

Her friend rolled her eyes. “He’s gay, remember?”

The other girl just flipped her hair over her shoulder and let out an encouraging cheer. _“Oh.”_ Lance thought. _“Keith’s gay?”_ Looking back up at the guy on stage he found it a little hard to believe. He carried himself like a straight guy. But Lance supposed he was the last person who had the right to judge. Hell a lot of people thought Lance was fully gay and just pretending to be bi. Lance thought that himself sometimes. But his first serious relationship had been with a girl back home and he knew that he had loved her and had felt sexually attracted to her as well.

After a few more songs Keith returned to the mic. “Alright. We got one more for you guys tonight.” The crowd groaned and Keith pushed some hair off his face. “Aw come on now. Don’t be like that! We have our merch up in the back, so buy something so we can afford to keep our lights on.” Keith looked down at Lance and said, “We’re sticking around after the show so we’d love to see you guys.”

A blush crept up Lance’s cheeks and he was glad it was dark enough that Keith couldn’t see. The girl that thought Keith had been sending all those looks at her gave Lance a side eye and deliberately elbowed him as she got closer to the stage. He moved backwards and watched the last song behind the girl and her friend. The guys on stage really turned it up for this last one, Keith was jumping and the guy on drums had taken off his shirt and tossed it into the crowd. The song ended with a flourish and the crowed cheered and begged for more. “Thanks for coming out tonight. We’re announcing some more shows soon so keep an eye on our Instagram. As always we had Adam White on drums, my equally as gay cousin Shiro, and me, Keith Kogane.” Keith rolled his eyes as women and men alike screamed for him. “See y’all next time.”

After a moment the lights came up and people milled around the room. A bunch of people headed for the merch table and others went to the bar to get something to drink. Lance stood in the same place, feeling a bit awkward. He had been clutching his dance bag to his stomach during the set so it wouldn’t be in way, but now he didn’t know what to do with it. Or if he should stay. Keith and the guys from Page Ten were starting to pack up their things. A couple of other people moved up to the stage to talk to Keith or grab a picture or even autographs. He always stopped what he was doing and smiled and posed for all the pictures. Though he did flush red whenever he signed an autograph.

“Never seen them before?” Someone asked.

Glancing to his right Lance noticed the guy that had told him the bands name. “Uh, yeah. I sorta met Keith yesterday by accident.”

The guy nodded, “He’s a really chill dude. He puts his blood, sweat and tears into this band.”

“Are you friends with him?” Lance asked, curious now.

Shrugging the guy said, “Not really. I’ve just been coming to Page Ten’s gigs since like, the beginning.”

“Cool.” Lance looked back up at the stage only to see that Keith was disappearing into the back room of Altea.

“Gunna stick around?”

“Oh.” Lance blushed a bit, “Maybe? I have a thing in the morning tomorrow…”

“Hey, its only 10! Grab a drink, get to know the people. Say hi to the guys.”

“I don’t know if I should…”

The guy slapped Lance on the back, “Keith is always excited to meet new fans. I could introduce you. Or well, re-introduce you.”

Lance weighed his options. It was still pretty early. But he didn’t know if he knew Keith well enough to just walk up to him. They had exchanged some words sure, but this was Keith’s element, not Lances. “Ok, maybe for a bit.” Lance finally relented.

“Sweet!” The guy grabbed one of Lance’s hands to shake. “My names Curtis.”

“Lance.”

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Curtis asked.

Shaking his head Lance put his dance bag on over his shoulder. “Oh no… I don’t really drink.”

Curtis laughed, “Well alright. I’ll be at the bar if you get lonely.” He winked good-naturedly and pushed through the crowd.

Lance decided to move over to a wall where he could stand with back against it. He felt a bit of anxiety flare up in the pit of his stomach but did his best to ignore it. He noticed the girls from earlier standing just close enough to the back door that they could grab Keith when he came out. The one girl looked like she was giving a pep talk to her friend. He was too far away to pick up on their conversation but Lance figured he knew what they were talking about.

After another minute Keith emerged from the back room, hair pulled back into a higher bun. The girls stopped him almost immediately. Keith smiled and hugged one of the girls. Clearly he recognized them. The girl that had been making the moves at Keith moved to his side for a picture, wrapping an arm around his waist. When the camera flash went off she kissed Keith’s cheek, surprising him a bit. He moved out of her grasp and exchanged a few words. Then he looked up and around the room. He was looking for someone, but Lance stayed where he was.

But then Keith noticed Lance standing against the wall and he smiled. It looked like he thanked the girls for coming then started making his way through the crowd, seemingly towards Lance. People stopped him along the way but soon enough Keith was walking up to Lance with his hands shoved in his jeans pockets. “Hi.” He said, his smile a bit brighter.

“Hey.” Lance offered, tightening his grip on his dance bag.

“Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Lance grinned a bit, “I sort of wound up here by accident.”

“Really?” Keith shifted to let some people pass, and he was suddenly incredibly close.

“Uh, yeah. I teach some classes at a studio nearby and I noticed all the people and decided to check it out.”

“Well I’m glad you stayed.” Keith ran a hand over the back of his neck, “So what did you think?”

Lance thought for a bit. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Keith cocked his head a bit, “I can’t tell if that’s good or bad.”

Laughing Lance waved a hand back and forth, “No. I thought it was incredible. Really. I’ve never seen your band perform before. You guys have an wicked stage presence.” Someone bumped into Lance, causing him to stumble forward a bit. Keith caught him by the elbow and helped support him. “Thanks.” He mumbled, trying to fight off a blush.

Keith was looking around and he turned back to Lance. “Want to run out back with me quick? I need a smoke and it’ll be quieter out there.”

“Oh.” Lance noticed the girls staring him down. The girl that had kissed Keith’s cheek looked royally pissed off. “Um. Sure.”

“Cool.” Keith’s grin was slow and lazy and he motioned for Lance to follow him.

Together they made their way through the crowd. “Need help finishing up?” Keith called up to a guy still on the stage.

“Na, I got it. Thanks Keith.”

They passed the two girls and Lance kept his gaze locked on the floor. “Where are you going?” One of them asked.

“Out back for a smoke.” Keith answered casually.

“Can we join?”

“Ah, sorry. Y’all know the rules.” Keith moved on and Lance quickly followed. They went through the back room where Shiro and Adam were sitting on a couch, making out. “Calm the fuck down or get a room!” Keith pushed Shiro’s head away from Adam’s and all three laughed.

“You’re just jealous of our love!” Adam called after Keith.

Then they were outside and Lance let out a breath. “Sorry about them.” Keith said, pulling a pack of cigarettes of his back pocket. He lit it up and then offered the pack to Lance.

“Oh, I don’t smoke.”

“Oh shit, sorry. Right. The dancing.” Keith took a long drag and blew the smoke from his nostrils. “So you said you teach dance classes?”

Lance nodded. “Mostly to kids that are just starting out. But its fun, and I get paid.”

“Cool.” Keith watched Lance for a bit. “So how’d you end up here tonight?”

“I come to Altea lot to study. I live in some student apartments on campus and it’s only a couple blocks away from home. One of my friends does slam poetry here sometimes and I thought they had another event like that going on.”

Keith took another drag and nodded. “We get to play at Altea pretty often. Shiro knows the owners.”

“How long have you been a band?”

“Hm. Going on five years now I think? My dad was really into music so I’ve been playing and singing since I was a kid. Shiro only started playing base after I begged him to. We’ve had a hard time keeping a steady drummer but once Shiro and Adam started going out he came on board.”

Lance smiled a bit, “That’s so cool. What does your dad think of your music?”

Keith’s face dropped a bit. “Oh. My dad passed away a while ago.”

Lance cringed at himself. “Shit. My bad.”

“You couldn’t have known.” Keith finished his cigarette and stamped it out underneath his black van. “But thanks for sticking around.”

“Oh yeah, sure. It was really cool.”

Keith looked like he was about to head inside but stopped. “Would it be totally inappropriate of me to ask you for your number?”

Again Lance found that he was speechless. “Not at all.” He finally managed to say. He handed Keith his phone and Keith did the same. Lance punched in his number but made his contact name “Hot Dancer”. Keith noticed this and snorted a bit. “Are you guys practicing tomorrow?” Lance asked.

“Hm. Probably not. Shiro and Adam usually go a bit crazy after we perform so it’ll be a miracle if they are able to function by 2 P.M. tomorrow.”

Lance didn’t know why he suddenly felt disappointed. Keith continued, “Another round of early morning practice for you though?”

“Unfortunately. I have a thing outside of midterms I have to work on.”

Keith just nodded, clearly wrestling with something. “Well maybe we could grab coffee tomorrow. If you have time.” 

“Yeah. Yeah ok. That sounds nice.” Lance was rewarded with a brilliant smile from Keith. “So um, I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah. See you later Lance.” Keith went back inside and Lance stood out in the alley for a bit, heart in his throat. This day had taken a very unexpected turn of events. Not that he was mad. He got to see a really, _really_ hot guy play with his band and now he and the hot guy were getting coffee. Lance slowly started to walk home, finally checking his phone. He had a couple missed calls from Hunk.

“Shit.” He mumbled. He dialed Hunk’s number and waited for him to pick up. “Hey, sorry.” He spit out as soon as Hunk answered.

“Oh thank god. You didn’t come back from your classes when you usually do. I got kinda worried.”

“Yeah, sorry. I took the shortcut home and passed by Altea. There was a band playing. I got kinda caught up.”

“Oh sweet. You should’ve texted me.”

Lance sighed and looked up at the dark sky, “Yeah I should’ve. I suck.”

“Na it’s all good. I’ve been trying to finish this damn paper all day. Was the band good?”

“Yeah they were.” Lance debated for a bit and then said, “You remember that guy I told you about yesterday?”

“The hot one?”

Snorting Lance replied, “Yeah. That one. Turns out it was his band.”

“No fucking way. Please tell me you just made out with him afterwards.”

“No. Didn’t get quite that far. But I got his number. And I think we might get coffee tomorrow.”

“That’s great buddy. But if that jerkoff does anything to hurt you I’ll kill him. I know how to hide a body.”

“You’ve been listening to those true crime podcasts again haven’t you?”

Hunk paused before answering, “Maybe.”

“Ok, well, I’m almost home. I’ll tell you more in a bit.”

“Alright. Be safe buddy.”

Lance ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket. It did seem like an odd twist of fate that he ended up meeting Keith again. Like the universe was putting them both in the same location on purpose. But then again Lance didn’t really believe in fate. He could already see how he and Keith’s relationship would play out. They’d get to know one another over awkward coffee dates until they finally gave into the sexual tension and fucked each other. It would continue on for a couple weeks until they got bored and then they would part as tenuous friends.

Well, that’s how all of Lance’s other “relationships” had gone as well. No one ever bothered to stay. Shaking his head he pushed those dark thoughts from his head and headed upstairs to his apartment. Now that some of the adrenaline had worn off Lance felt like his head weighed 10,000 pounds. God he needed sleep.

Opening the front door of the apartment he found Hunk sitting on the couch and the rest of the living room seemingly covered with papers and books. “Before you start, I know this is a mess. I’ll clean everything up when I’m done.”

Lance dropped his dance bag by the front door and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it dude.”

“You ok?” Hunk asked, obviously sensing Lance’s mood.

“Just tired. It was a long day. And I’ve got early rehearsal in the morning.”

“Ok.” Hunk stood up and came up to Lance and wrapped him a tight hug. “Get some sleep. Lemme know if you need anything ok?”

“I thought you wanted to hear about mystery boy.” Lance mumbled into Hunk’s shoulder.

“We’ll have plenty of time tomorrow.”

“Thanks buddy.” Lance squeezed Hunk back and then shuffled into his bedroom. He wasn’t quite sure what had come over him. Twenty minutes ago he had been laughing and smiling with Keith. Now he was slumped against his bedroom door, fighting back tears. Summing it up to stress from midterms he stripped out of his clothes and fell into bed.

***

“So what do you think?” Lance asked anxiously. He had just played _A Little More_ by Milk for Allura. She had been quiet throughout the whole song.

“I like it.” She looked up at Lance, “We could go pretty hard with a lyrical piece.”

Lance sighed, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” He had awoken earlier that morning with a sour mouth and the smell of smoke in his hair. There was text waiting, from Keith.

_I’m not gunna change your contact name. Just in case you were curious._ 3:30 A.M.

That made him smile. He had been dreading texting Keith first. He always came off as horribly awkward. He replied:

_I changed yours to “Hot Emo With Tats” so I think we’re even._ 7:30 A.M.

Keith hadn’t replied yet and Lance figured he was still sleeping. Or hoped that he was still sleeping and not ignoring Lance’s message. Ignoring that feeling of dread in his stomach he met up with Allura for their early morning practice. They had bickered over song choices for a while until Lance finally pulled out his song. Now they just had to arrange a routine to it. “The song is really sensual, so maybe that’s the vibe we should go with.” Lance offered.

This wouldn’t be the first time he and Allura had danced together. They had been working together since freshman year on various projects. They had beautiful chemistry when they danced together. For a short while during freshman year Lance had been obsessed with Allura and tried all his best moves on her, only to have her politely decline every time. Eventually Lance had grown past his puppy dog crush and now he and Allura treated each other like brother and sister.

He had spent the last year teasing Allura about her crush on Lotor. They would make a gorgeous couple but Allura was too scared to make the first move. Instead she treated Lotor like a casual acquaintance.

“We could put in a bunch of lifts. Really bank on that sexual tension.” Allura added. She pulled her hair into a high bun and started to stretch. “We have two weeks to get this ready right?”

“Yep. We’re going to have to scramble.”

“Well after midterms I’m probably going to need the extra credit.” She shrugged and got up to do some moves on barre.

Lance’s phone chimed over the Bluetooth. He felt his heart leap to his throat but he didn’t move over to his phone. “Jesus.” Allura was watching him with a smirk on her face, “Expecting a text from someone?”

He rolled his eyes and joined her at the barre. “Maybe. I don’t know. Its weird.”

“Tell me babe.” Allura said, teasing done.

“Its just a guy I met the other day. The music building was full so he and his band were practicing in the studio I was using to rehearse. Then I kinda accidently stumbled into a gig he was playing last night. We gave each other our numbers and I think we might meet up for coffee.”

“Well that’s a good thing, right?”

Lance shook his head. “I don’t know. I just… I don’t want him to end up like everyone else.”

Allura dropped her leg from the barre and pulled Lance into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist and setteled her head on his shoulder. Lance leaned into the hug and held his breathe. He didn’t trust himself to speak. “You don’t know what he’ll be like until you give him a chance love.”

“I know. I’m just scared I guess. I never thought I’d see him again.”

Allura pulled back and looked up into Lance’s eyes. “Love listen to me, you are beautiful and talented and smart and you have a lovely sense of humor. He’d be lucky to have you. Now go check your phone before you explode.”

He laughed a bit and carefully walked over to his phone. Sure enough there was a text from Keith.

_I haven’t been called emo since like middle school_ 8:40 A.M.

_Well rise and shine Mr. MCR_ 8:50 A.M.

Lance bit his thumb and waited for a reply.

_I’m awake but I’m_ not _happy about it_ 8:51 A.M.

_Late night?_ 8:51 A.M.

_I got Shiro and Adam back to their place at like 4_ 8:52 A.M.

“What are you saying?” Allura bounced up and down a bit.

“Just… talking I guess?” He looked over at her, “Should I bring up the coffee thing or should I wait?”

“Wait! Make him WAIT!” Allura declared dramatically. Turns out Lance wouldn’t have to wait that long. His phone buzzed again.

_What time are you done with practice?_ 8:53 A.M.

“He asked me when we’re done.” He said almost frantically.

“Well tell him the truth you dipshit.”

Ignoring Allura’s jab he sent:

_Probably around noon._ 8:54 A.M.

_Can I pick you up? We could get lunch or something_ 8:54 A.M.

“He better have just asked you out.” Allura said from where she was stretching on the floor.

“He did.” Lance said a little distantly.

_Yeah. Sure. But maybe we could meet somewhere? I don’t think you’re ready to spend any period of time with after rehearsal Lance_ 8:56 A.M.

_Yeah of course. Just lemme know_ 8:56 A.M.

Lance looked up from his phone. “I think I have a date with Keith Kogane.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYO. Lance got to see Keith perform. If you want a general idea of what Keith performing looks like I'll point you to any live videos of The 1975 performing. The vibe and energy Matty Healy has is what I think of when I write Keith performing. 
> 
> Also I'd describe Page Ten's sound as punkish. With a little indie mixed in. Basically I've taken inspiration from MCR, All Time Low, State Champs, Cigarettes After Sex, The 1975, Pale Waves and a number of other bands to form Page Ten's sound. 
> 
> See y'all at the next chapter.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AWKWARD COFFEE DATES

**Keith**

He was standing in front of his mirror, debating on what he should wear. And he felt kind of stupid for putting so much thought into this. Hell, he was just grabbing coffee with Lance. And Keith didn’t even know if Lance swung his way or not. Chances are he probably didn’t. Maybe Lance agreed to get coffee because he felt bad and didn’t want to make Keith feel bad by declining.

He had on black combat boots; black jeans and a dark green plaid button up. It was nicer than what he usual wore. There were only a couple things he knew how to do with his hair, so he went with pulling half of it up. Checking his phone he saw that it was about time he should leave. Lance had told him what building he lived in and Keith was going to go pick him up there. He was half tempted to go get his bike and show up like that but that seemed to be a little overboard.

It was a nice day so Keith grabbed his old leather jacket but didn’t put it on. Shoving his hands in his pockets he left his apartment building and headed in Lance’s direction. _“We gotta keep this causal Kogane. Just getting coffee with a friend that’s all.”_

It was late afternoon on a Sunday and people were out all over campus. People hanging out on blankets, some had even gotten hammocks out and were chilling between trees. Almost everyone was studying, which Keith supposed he should do. But all his midterms were simple papers. He was also turning in Page Ten’s new EP for credit for one of his classes. He was getting off pretty easy this time around.

As he approached Lance’s building he forced the nervousness down. If things went well today Keith wanted to ask Lance to step in and be the dancer for the new Page Ten video. From what Keith had seen Lance was absolutely incredible. He would be a perfect fit.

Stopping outside Lance’s building he fired off a quick text.

_Hey Hot Dancer, I’m here_ 3:15 P.M.

Leaning up against the brick building he took a deep breathe of the late afternoon air. His phone buzzed and he dug it back out of his pocket.

_All right Mr. MCR. I’ll be down in a bit_ 3:16 P.M.

Keith grinned at the nickname Lance had decided to call him. He was just glad Lance didn’t get creeped out when Keith called him “hot dancer”. Keith was tempted to light up a cigarette but Lance didn’t like it so he fought the urge. Moments later Lance came out of the door to Keith’s right. “Hey.” Keith said casually.

“Sorry for making you wait.”

Keith shook his head and shrugged. “You didn’t.”

Lance rubbed the back of his neck, “So… where do you wanna go?”

“Are you completely against Altea?”

“I’d never turn it down.” Lance grinned easily.

Keith gestured in the direction of Altea, “Shall we?”

“Good to see chivalry isn’t dead.” Lance laughed and started walking and Keith quickly got in step with him. “So you recovered from last night?”

“I think so. Still haven’t heard from Shiro though.”

“So you two are cousins?”

Keith nodded, “Yep. Our dads are brothers.”

“A couple of my older brothers and sisters have already had kids. It feels weird being an uncle at my age.”

“Do you come from a big family?”

Lance chuckled, “Yeah. I have two older brothers and one older sister. Then two little sisters and twin baby brothers.”

“Wow. Eight kids?”

“My parents didn’t know how stop apparently.” Lance laughed and rubbed his neck again. “It was fun when I was kid though. We’ve always all got along pretty well.”

They paused, waiting for their signal to cross the street. Keith watched as the wind whipped Lance’s hair around and smiled softly. Jesus this guy was beautiful. Not only did he have wicked good bone structure but his hair framed it perfectly. He had a long, slender nose and an adorable mouth. Keith forced himself to look away before Lance caught him staring. “It was just me growing up,” He started as they began to cross the street, “I guess my mom had a pretty hard time when she had me.”

Lance shook his head, “I can’t imagine that. I was sort of the middle child. I got a lot of help from my older siblings.”

“Shiro and I have always been really close. He’s only a year older than me so we hung out together a lot. I was super excited when he started to pick up bass.”

Lance glanced at him and brushed some hair behind his ear, “So you two have been playing together for a while, huh?”

Nodding Keith grabbed Lance’s elbow and pulled him to the side so he wouldn’t get hit by a kid on a bike, “Whoa, watch out there.” He noticed Lance blushing so he stayed close. “But, uh yeah. We played with my dad a lot before he died.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your dad.” Lance replied.

“Thanks.” Keith shrugged a bit. They were just a few doors down from Altea. “He was a great man.”

They stayed quiet until they walked inside the coffee shop. Keith opened the door for Lance and was rewarded with a smile. There were quite a few people in the shop, some people chatting over coffee and students buried in books or laptops. Keith noticed Rolo behind the counter and sent a silent message to the universe. _“God Rolo. Please don’t embarrass me.”_

“Should we order first?” Lance asked, oblivious to Keith’s inner plight.

“Oh, yeah.” The made for the counter and Rolo noticed Keith almost instantly.

Keith gave him a look over Lance’s shoulder. Rolo grinned brightly but gave Lance a quick once over. “Keith, hey.” Rolo drawled, leaning his elbows on the counter.

“Oh. You two know each other?” Lance asked, genuinely curious.

“Oh, yeah.” Keith glanced over at Rolo. “We went to high school together.”

“That’s right!” Rolo said brightly, “We started going to Berkeley together.”

Lance’s brows quirked the slightest bit. “Together?”

“Oh we used to date.” Rolo said and the air seemed to still.

Keith groaned and leaned his head back. “Rolo, come on.”

“What?” He asked innocently.

Lance smiled, a little uncomfortable. “No, its fine.” He looked down at his feet.

“Are you two here together?” Rolo asked.

“No, Rolo. I just drug a stranger in from the street to have this hideously awkward conversation.” Keith glared at his ex.

Rolo rolled his eyes, “I’m sorry.” He directed it at Lance; “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Lance grinned a bit, “You didn’t, don’t worry about it.”

Keith leaned in a bit closer to Lance, “Let me buy your coffee.” He said a bit quieter.

Lance’s smile this time was genuine. “Well, I think you might owe me now.”

“Do I really?” Keith smirked, temporarily forgetting anything but Lance’s blue eyes. His hand reached out and grabbed one of Lance’s. He rubbed at his knuckles gently.

Rolling his eyes Lance pushed Keith’s shoulder. “I’ll just take a medium vanilla latte. I’ll go find a table.” He briefly squeezed Keith’s hand and drifted away.

The second Lance was out of earshot Keith’s eyes sliced over to Rolo. “Are you fucking serious?” He bit out.

“Keith, come on. I didn’t know you brought the guy here for a date or whatever.”

“I mean… it’s not a date. I don’t think?” 

Rolo was already starting their drinks, he had been listening in. And of course Rolo already knew what Keith wanted. “So why are you getting so worked up?”

Groaning Keith got his card out to pay, “Because. He’s cute. And I’m interested in him. I just don’t know if he’s interested in me.” He eyed Rolo wearily, “And you might’ve just ruined my chance.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Rolo said, “He’s staring at you right now like you’re made of gold. If anything ruins this budding relationship it’ll be you.”

“Thanks for your bid of support.” Keith replied sarcastically. Then he thought a bit harder about what Rolo said. “Is he really staring at me?”

“Yes he is Kogane. Practically drooling. Aren’t you so lucky.” Rolo finished up their drinks and placed them on the counter in front of his ex. “Good luck lover boy.”

“Oh fuck off.” Keith said to Rolo’s back. Taking a deep breath he grabbed their coffees and turned around to find Lance. He was sitting at a table in the corner, looking at his phone. The sun streamed in from the window behind him and shadowed Lance’s frame beautifully. Walking carefully as to not spill the coffee he headed for the table. “Sorry about Rolo.” He said carefully. He set Lance’s coffee down and then pulled out his own chair, draping his jacket over the back of it.

Lance waved it off, “Its fine. I was the one who asked.” He looked into the intricate design in his latte. “But I guess it answered a question I had.”

“What question would that be?” Keith asked, sipping at his iced caramel latte.

Blushing furiously Lance answered, “If you were actually into guys.”

Keith choked a bit and found that he was laughing. “I didn’t make it obvious?”

“Not really.” Lance grinned a bit, “And I heard some girls at the gig last night talking about it but I wasn’t sure if it was true.”

“Well, yeah. I’m gay.” He watched as Lance smiled at him, “Very gay.”

They looked at each other for a bit before Lance hid another blush by taking a sip of his coffee. “Good to know.” He responded.

Keith grinned at the table. He decided not to ask Lance about his sexuality. Rolo had him feel uncomfortable enough about it already. And Lance hadn’t reacted in a negative way to Keith’s touches or flirting so… he didn’t loose hope. “So how did rehearsal go?”

“Pretty good. My friend and I have danced together before so we worked pretty well together.”

“Is it another thing for midterms?”

Lance shook his head and crossed one leg over the other. “One of our professors entered us in a local competition. We can do stuff like that for extra credit.”

“Cool.” Keith watched Lance for a moment, “How long have you been dancing?”

“Since I was a kid. One of my aunts owned her own studios, so my older sister got to go to lessons for free. I watched Rach dance all the time and I thought it was so cool. So I bothered the shit out of her for weeks until my mom finally relented and brought me along.” He sipped his latte, “So basically the better part of two decades.”

“That’s fascinating.”

“Not really.” Lance shrugged, “I just do it because I’m not good at anything else.”

Keith sighed, “I highly doubt that’s the case.”

“So…” Lance tucked some hair behind his ear again, “Tell me more about your music.”

Shrugging Keith looked out the window. “I have fun with it. I’m not really expecting Page Ten to be _huge_ you know? But making music, performing… its extremely fun.”

“Do you want to keep going with Page Ten?”

“Yeah. We’re hitting our stride. But if we don’t take it any farther I won’t be totally upset. I mix a lot of music for other bands. Working at a record label could be pretty cool.”

Lance nodded, resting his chin in his hand, “Isn’t mixing music like super complicated?”

“It can be, depending on what the band wants. We’ve tried some wild stuff with Page Ten in the past.”

“How did it go?”

Keith chuckled, “Not well. We did some weird experimental indie shit and our fans didn’t like it much.”

Lance toyed with his mug, “Do you have another gig planned soon?”

“In like two weeks? It’s at an actual club this time around.”

“Are you the only band playing?”

Keith shook his head, “No, its like a festival thing over the weekend. But we are the last band to play that night. I’m pretty sure we play Saturday night.” Then it struck Keith what Lance was trying to get at, “You are more than welcome to come.”

Smirking Lance took another sip of his latte. “I’d love to see you in action again.”

They smiled at each other and then just continued to talk. It had been a long time since Keith had just sat down with another person like this. It was refreshing. Lance had a sharp sense of humor that made Keith laugh. Lance would come in with a witty comment that would take Keith off guard and they started to bond slowly.

People came and went as they sat there. They finished their drinks but made no move to go. Lance was telling Keith a story from his early dance days and he was completely entranced. He couldn’t take his eyes off Lance’s face. His subtle smiles and sharp eyes made Keith’s heart pound. Eventually they put their dirty glasses in a dish bin and made their way outside. But Keith didn’t want this to end. “Take a walk with me?” He asked.

Lance looked at his watch and it looked like he was debating. “Sure.” He said eventually, “I really don’t want to finish one of my papers anyways.”

They began to walk in the opposite direction of where they both lived, strolling along slowly. The wind had picked up a bit and Lance shivered. Keith immediately draped his leather jacket over his shoulders. Lance glanced at him, a bit shocked. But then he smiled gratefully and tucked the jacket tighter around himself. “Are you from around here?” Lance asked, moving closer to Keith as they walked.

“Na. I’m from LA originally.”

“What brought you up this way?”

“Shiro chose Berkeley and I knew I wanted to be close to wherever he was, so we could continue with Page Ten stuff. I had a couple of visits to Berkeley and ended up really liking it. Seemed like it would be a good fit.” He brushed up against Lance’s shoulder, tempted to wrap an arm around his waist, but he stopped himself. “What about you?”

“I’m from Ventura. I’ve been in love with Berkeley’s dance program when I was a kid. Had to work my ass off to accepted but I’m here now so…” Lance shrugged and smiled.

“What are you planning to do after graduation?”

“That is a great question that I don’t have the answer to.” Lance said, but his voice held a tinge of bitterness. “I guess I’m going to keep dancing until I can’t anymore.”

“Nothing wrong with that plan.” Keith said, brushing some hair out of his face. One of Lance’s hands was dangling close to his so Keith took the risk and carefully grabbed Lance’s hand. Only a moment passed before Lance intertwined his fingers with Keith’s. He smiled in Lance’s direction and kept walking. “Speaking of which… I had something I wanted to ask you.”

“What’s up?”

“So uh, Page Ten is releasing that new EP soon and we usually release a music video for a song when we drop it too.” Swallowing a bit he continued, “We have this slower song called _Natural_ that we’ve been working on for years. And uh, we’ve been looking for a dancer for the more instrumental parts of the song.”

“Ok…” Lance didn’t say anymore.

Keith cringed, “And well, you’re a dancer. And I was wondering if maybe…”

Lance stopped walking, “Wait. You want me to dance in your music video?”

“Sorry.” Keith started to pull his hand from Lance’s, “That was really weird…”

Lance tightened his grip on Keith’s hand, “No, wait. I’m just. Shocked? Maybe a little flattered?”

They stood facing each other for a bit and Keith blinked. “Wait really?”

“I mean, yeah? No one has ever asked me something like that before.”

Keith shrugged, “Well, you are an incredible dancer. I think you’d fit our vision really well.”

Lance’s face darkened for a second. “Did you just ask me out today to ask me to do your video? Like… like I would owe you favor or something?”

“Wait. What? No!” Keith grabbed Lance’s other hand. “I asked you out because you’re really cool. And beautiful? I don’t know. I just wanted to ask you about being in the video because I’d be honored if you shared your talent with my band.”

Lance blinked at Keith for a moment but then he was grinning. “This is ridiculous. This is a ridiculous situation.”

“Yes. Yes it is.”

Lance looked at Keith for another long moment. “If you really want me to, I’d love to be a part of your video…”

Grinning brightly Keith squeezed Lance’s hands. “Of course I want you to.” He released one of Lance’s hands but kept a tight grip on the other and they began to walk down the street once more, “The other guys will be psyched.”

“My schedule is sort of tight though, so you’ll have to let me know in advance.”

“Yeah sure no problem. We’ll probably just want to use one of the studios on campus, and we are a couple weeks out of filming still.” Keith tried to keep his excitement contained. The last couple of days had been a whirlwind, not that he was complaining. His life had needed some excitement.

“Do you mind if we head back?” Lance asked, pulling Keith’s jacket tighter around his shoulders, “I really need to finish that paper.” There was a laugh in his voice.

“Of course.” They spun around and headed back from where they came. Staying quiet for a bit Keith just enjoyed being around Lance. His smell, his curves and edges were just so fascinating. They passed Altea again and Keith noticed Rolo wiping down the windows from inside. He immediately noticed Keith and Lance holding hands and he raised both of his brows. Keith shook his head and kept his eyes forward.

If he knew Rolo they way he thought he would he knew he’d get a call as soon as Rolo was off work. They were supportive of one another dating other people, obviously they were. Rolo had dated a ton of people since he and Keith broke up. It had been a while for Keith though. No one had ever peaked his interest like Lance did. So Rolo might get a bit protective. That was understandable. They were still really close.

After a couple more minutes they arrived at Lance’s building and paused, a bit awkward. “Thanks for letting me take you out.” Keith finally said, brushing his hair out his face.

Lance smirked, “It was fun. Really.” He looked down at his feet; “Maybe we could do it again sometime.”

Keith’s smile grew. “I’d love to.” Lance shrugged out of Keith’s jacket and handed it back to him. “And I’ll let you know about the video stuff.”

“Yeah, I usually know my schedule a couple weeks out so we can figure it out then.” Lance looked at Keith for an instant and then leaned forward and pressed his lips to Keith’s cheek. “Thanks Mr. MCR.” Then he turned and went back into his building.

Keith stood in shock for a moment, a hand drifting up to his cheek. This was so stupid. He felt like a fucking horny 15 year old. He was 22 for Christ’s sake; it felt weird for his heart to be doing backflips like this. After another moment he put his jacket and walked home, a smile on his face.

***

He had been texting Lance since he had dropped him off, still on cloud nine. Lance kept complaining that Keith was distracting him from finishing his paper, but every time Keith said he’d let Lance study he’d get another text from Lance. Keith had also been working on a paper, music blaring from his record player. He had an extensive collection of vinyl and tried to play it as often as he could.

Just as he was about to send another text to Lance his phone rang. Rolo, of course. Keith answered, getting up to turn his music down. “Hey.”

“You were holding hands with him!” Rolo cried.

Rolling his eyes Keith collapsed on his small couch. “I was.”

“Moving a bit fast aren’t you?”

“We’re just holding hands.”

Rolo scoffed, “You didn’t even kiss him?”

“Was I supposed to?”

“If you two went as far as holding hands I was _sure_ you’d kiss.”

“Sorry to disappoint?” Keith leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to deal with Rolo’s 10,000 questions right now.

“You seriously didn’t kiss.”

“Why does it matter?” Keith knew he sounded irritated but he couldn’t hide it now.

“Sorry. It’s just been a while since you’ve brought a guy around.” Rolo sighed, “I get worried about you.”

“It was just two guys talking over coffee.”

“It might’ve seemed that way to you, but I haven’t seen you look on someone like that in years.”

Keith felt his heart stop. “What do you mean?”

“You just looked genuinely interested. Your eyes lit up and you smiled so much.” Rolo’s voice sounded a bit, jealous? Keith couldn’t tell. “You’re into that guy.”

“I mean yeah. But we met literally three days ago.”

“Have you ever seen a Nicholas Sparks movie? It ain’t real unless it happens in three days.”

Groaning Keith finally opened his eyes, “I guess I am pretty into him. He’s just nice. And he likes my music. And he agreed to be in a Page Ten video.”

“The video for _Natural_?”

“Yeah. We finally got a space to film the singing bits and Lance will do the dancing in the instrumental parts.” Keith fought off a grin. God he couldn’t believe Lance agreed to it. “He’s a dancer. Did I mention that?”

“I put two and two together.” Rolo replied dryly.

“Sorry.”

“How do _you_ know he’s a dancer?”

“The music building was fully booked this weekend so we needed another place to practice. Adam pulled some strings and got a studio in the dance building. That’s where I met him. Our times to use the studio overlapped.”

“So you’ve seen him dance?”

“Yeah.” Keith felt his voice go a little dreamy, “He’s fantastic. I know for sure he does ballet but he told me today that he has experience in almost everything.”

Rolo stayed quiet for a bit. “Be careful.”

“We went on a coffee date today. We met three days ago. There’s nothing to be careful about.”

“Just be careful. Ok? I love you and I worry about you. Don’t plunge into something too fast.”

Keith grit his teeth, “Rolo, come on. I’m not that stupid.”

“I never said you were stupid. I just want what’s best for you.”

“Yeah. Yeah ok. I gotta go, I need to finish a paper.”

“Ok. Sorry for bothering you.” Rolo ended the call and Keith let his phone fall to the couch. That was weird. Rolo hadn’t acted like that way in a long time. Keith didn’t really know what he did differently with Lance that set Rolo on edge like that. But it was also Keith’s life; he could do whatever he wanted.

Picking his phone back up he saw a text from Lance.

_I swear to shit if I have to stare at this cursor blinking at my face for a minute longer I’m jumping out a window_ 8:15 P.M.

Keith laughed a bit, his fingers hovering over his keyboard.

_You’re doing better than I am. I still need four pages_ 8:16 P.M.

_You said you’d beat me! Get your emo ass in gear!_ 8:17 P.M.

_I took a breakkkkk_ 8:18 P.M.

_Totally not fair MCR_ 8:18 P.M.

_Fine. I’ll finish soon_ 8:19 P.M.

Getting off his couch Keith went and sat back down at his desk and refreshed his laptop. He was writing a paper about the process of creating Page Ten’s new EP. But writing his musical process down was proving to be more difficult than he thought it would be. How in the hell was he supposed to describe the mess in his head? It made sense when Keith was pulling all that shit from his brain and turning it into music, but not so much when it came to writing.

He pulled up the new EP and clicked play, closing his eyes. He was so fucking proud of this music. It was some of the best stuff he and Shiro and Adam had ever produced. It was so different than their previous sound. It was darker and more of Keith’s inner bullshit. As he grew more comfortable with creating music it was easier to express his true feelings. _Natural_ was all about trying to exist in a world that was tailored against him. He was introverted and awkward and suffered from depression. Music was the only bright spot in his life. _Natural_ told Keith’s story for him.

That’s why it was even more exciting that Lance was participating. He had a way of letting the music move him, letting his body explain the music. Shiro and Adam were pumped to have a dancer for the video, though they both teased the shit out of him for involving the guy he was crushing on.

After another hour of struggle Keith had finished the last four pages of his paper and turned it in to his professor. Keith grabbed his phone and climbed up into his loft and collapsed on his bed. It had been a long day, but a good one. He noticed he had a notification on Instagram. It wasn’t an app he used often but he opened it up anyways. Oh. It was a follow request from Lance. Keith accepted Lance’s request and followed him back. Then he started to creep through Lance’s profile.

There were a lot of videos of him dancing, each one more enchanting than the last. Most of the pictures were extremely aesthetically pleasing; some of them were of him on campus, others of him in various dance poses. It was ridiculous how pretty this man was.

Scrolling back up to the top of Lance’s feed Keith noticed he just posted a new picture a couple hours ago. It was taken at Altea; Keith didn’t even notice that he had taken a picture. It showed the latte Lance had, the latte art still intact. One of his delicate hands was around the mug. In the foreground of the picture was the glass of iced coffee Keith had enjoyed, one of his hands just visible. Lance somehow managed to make Keith’s chipped black nail polish and old black bracelets looks cool. The caption read, “Much needed midterms break”.

Grinning brightly Keith liked the photo but didn’t comment. He stared at the picture for longer than he was ever willing to admit.

_Sorry if that pic was creepy_ 9:20 P.M.

Lance sent the text, and Keith could almost feel how nervous he was.

_It wasn’t. I didn’t even realize you had taken it_ 9:21 P.M.

_That’s why it was creepy_ 9:21 P.M.

Lance responded, but it was good-natured.

_Don’t worry about it_ 9:22 P.M.

They continued texting for a bit longer before Lance eventually said goodnight. His ballet midterm was super early and he wanted to sleep off some of the nerves. Keith wished Lance luck and then dropped his phone his mattress.

God he was already too invested in this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really dialogue heavy, sorry if that isn't your thing. 
> 
> Next chapter will be out real soon!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is really short and I suck I'm sorry.

**Lance**

Everyone was watching him. Lance felt his stomach twist. He hadn’t even danced yet and felt exhausted. Allura nudged him with her elbow, smiling gently. Some of the only people in the dance department that talked to him were Allura and Lotor. Somewhere along the line all the other dance students decided to feel threatened by Lance and shun him.

“If Cindy doesn’t stop staring daggers at me I’m going to vomit.” Lance whispered tersely.

“Bitch hardly knows how to point her toes properly.” Allura responded, swinging her arms around her head.

Lotor laughed a bit and then tried to cover it with a cough. “She isn’t wrong.”

Their professor walked into the studio and clapped her hands. They were in a studio on the first floor of the dance building. It was big enough for the entire class. Normally midterms like this would just be professor and student. But their professor had changed it up this semester. She was adamant that watching everyone else’s comp pieces would be a “learning experience”. Lance wasn’t going first at least; Allura had been unlucky enough to get that position.

“Alright!” Their professor clapped her hands; she was a fierce Russian to her core. She came over to the states towards the end of the Cold War. She was only 20 when she found herself in California in 1980. Now sitting around 60 she still looked young. She also held no sympathy for her students. Having been trained in the Old Russian world of ballet, her students were expected to listen to her teachings and apply them to their own “American” version. “We are to begin.” She got out her clipboard to look over the names. “Allura. You are up.”

Casting a glance over to Lance Allura grinned and hopped up. Plugging her phone into the speakers she got ready for her performance. There was no doubt in Lance’s mind that she would nail this. Allura faced the rest of the class, only ten other students. There had been more of them freshman year, but the program became too rigorous for a lot of them.

Lotor and Lance sat next to each other, both watching Allura’s every move. Lance was doing it to take notes, he had learned a lot from her over the years. But Lotor was watching her because he was _obviously_ in love with her. Lance rolled his eyes a bit, watching Lotor watch Allura. They were going to the same place over fall break and Lance told Allura she better make a move or Lance would. Not that he was really into Lotor, but damn, the guy was hot.

Allura’s performance ended and everyone clapped politely. The rest of the department hated Allura, Lance and Lotor. “The Terrible Three” was their nickname. Allura thought it was hilarious, she just loved to dance. But she was on the fast track to being _big._ Scouts had been after her since freshman year. Lotor was much the same. Lance didn’t quite share their passions though. Dance was his life but he didn’t want to take his passion so far that he would lose his love for it.

As other students performed Lance spaced out a bit, feeling that familiar tug of anxiety in his gut. Finally it was his turn. He set up his music and turned it on and headed for the center of the floor. Looking at a spot above everyone’s head he launched into his performance. He had been working on this fucking piece for long enough now that it all felt natural. Soon the song was reverberating in his ears and the rest of the world faded away.

Out of all the other songs Lance had heard so far this morning his by far was the most contemporary. But that was part of what made Lance a threat to the other students. He had never been afraid to push the limits. If he allowed his creative juices to flow then nothing would stand in his way.

He was about halfway through his routine now. A quick arabesque and the beat of the song changed as it headed toward to the conclusion. Flying into a grand pirouette he braced for the jump that was coming. He had two options, to nail this cabriole or to fail. And he guessed that the other students wanted him to fail. Determination settled in his brow and he grit his teeth. It all had to look graceful. Like Lance wasn’t even trying. As he went up for the jump he felt a small smile cross his face.

One final pirouette and Lance ended in fifth position, arms posed down by his waist instead. Straightening up he finally dared to meet eyes with his professor. Her arms were crossed over her chest but an almost invisible smile graced her face. “What did I tell you?” She said sternly, “You were perfectly capable of that jump.”

Not knowing what to say Lance simply shrugged, but smiled back. “You can all learn from Lance.” She said, “With a bit of hard work you could all be at his level.

Lance felt his stomach tense. His eyes dropped to the floor. This is what he hated about dance; no matter who you were there was always someone else that you could be compared to. His professor liked to use Lance as the example of a perfect student, which of course just made the rest of them hate him more.

Retrieving his phone and hurrying back to Allura’s side he nodded at Lotor, who was dancing next.

“You killed it.” Allura whispered in his ear.

He just shrugged. “I wish she wouldn’t compare everyone else to me.”

“They’re all just jealous. You’ve got something special.” Allura said, and then leaned away so she could watch Lotor.

About an hour later they were finally done with their ballet three midterm. “Your grades will be posted in an hours time.” Their professor called after them as they left.

“Thank _god_ that’s over.” Allura said, stretching her arms over her head.

Lotor snorted, “Now comes the really hard part, finals.”

“Don’t say another word,” Lance replied wearily, “I can’t even think straight right now.”

Allura looped both her arms through Lance and Lotor’s, holding them both close. “That was my only midterm today, you guys wanna grab some coffee?”

“I’d love to.” Lotor said immediately.

“Lance?”

He sighed. All his papers were finished, and he couldn’t reserve a studio for practice until later that day. “Yeah. Sounds nice.”

They all marched toward Altea, of course. It was a favorite for a lot of kids on campus. “So when do you guys leave for Seattle?” Lance asked Lotor and Allura.

“Thursday. I don’t have any midterms on Friday.” Allura bounced a bit, excited. “I still can’t believe our dads agreed to it.”

Lotor smiled to himself. He and Allura’s families became great friends after their children started at Berkeley. Both were extremely well off and influential in the dance world. And of course their parents were rooting for Allura and Lotor to get together as well, it would be a powerful alliance to have the Daibazaal and Voltron families joined together.

Walking along with them Lance suddenly felt very out of place. He’d always been a third wheel in this little troupe, and he knew that once Lotor and Allura got together (because of _course_ it was going to happen) it would be even more apparent.

Soon they reached Altea and he let the other two push inside in front of him. Biting his lip he waited until the ordered. “Hey guys, I forgot, I actually have a paper I need to finish up before I practice my jazz piece later…” His eyes returned to the ground, “I think I’ll just get my coffee to go…”

Allura gave him a look, she saw right through his little lie. But Allura knew Lance well enough to know that what he needed right now was some space. She hugged him quickly, “Of course. And seriously, you fucking killed it today. I’m so proud of you.”

He smiled a bit weakly, “Thanks.”

Lotor actually smiled at him, “Even gave me a run for my money McClain.”

“Oh shut up.” Lance moved up to the counter and ordered his coffee to go, already itching to get back into the privacy of his own room. He wasn’t sure if he was going to cry, but it sure felt like a strong possibility. This always happened to him. He would give a killer performance and feel great about it for a while afterwards, but then his brain would slowly start to pick everything apart.

_“You should’ve pointed your toes more.”_

_“That spin was under rotated.”_

_“God you looked like a fucking robot. Where was all the passion?”_

Swallowing thickly he looked over at Allura and Lotor sitting at a table in the corner. They were so caught up in one another that they didn’t notice Lance slowly melting down. But he couldn’t blame them. They had no reason to worry about Lance right now.

And of course they got this stupid, paid in full, romantic vacation to Seattle and Lance would just be… alone. Like always. He nearly jumped out of his skin when someone lightly tapped his shoulder. “Lance?”

Keith was looking at him; head cocked a bit to the left. “Hey.”

Lance recovered a bit, rubbing his eyes. “Hi! Sorry. I’m a bit out of it today.”

“Figured. How’d the ballet midterm go?”

His drink was called out so Lance moved toward the end of the counter, feeling comforted that Keith followed. “Pretty well, I think anyways. The grades will be out in like another thirty minutes.”

Keith smiled, the dimple in his right cheek showing, “Well congrats. You worked hard on that routine.”

They just looked at each other for a bit, Lance feeling some of the tension leave his shoulders. “So uh, what are you up to?”

“Not much. I don’t have a midterm until tomorrow. I was taking a walk and was close by so I figured I might as well stop in.” Keith grabbed his drink, “What about you?”

“Well. Uh. I sort of lied to my friends sitting over at the corner table. I said I have a paper to work on but I finished everything last night.”

“Ok.”

“You’re not going to ask why I lied?” Lance wondered.

Keith shrugged. “They look pretty busy over there.”

Lance glanced behind him quickly and noticed that Allura and Lotor were in fact, in their own little world. Altea could be burning down and they wouldn’t notice. Lance shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. “They’ve been into each other for years now. I guess I’m a little sick of being third wheel.”

“Yeah, I get that. Adam and Shiro rarely spend anytime apart. It’s hard being the odd one out.”

Lance just blinked for a bit. Seems like Keith said the exact thing Lance had been longing to hear. Other people gave him shit about it, saying he should be lucky that Lotor and Allura even bother to talk to him. “I was just going to go hide in my apartment until I practice later.” He said a bit dumbly.

“Well,” Keith picked at the label on his coffee cup, “Could I tempt you into finishing my walk with me?”

He thought about it for a bit. Up until a second ago all Lance had wanted was to go hide in his room. To let the dark thoughts creep up until he had to go cry in the shower. But now he was looking at a smiling Keith and he felt the slightest bit better. Which was ridiculous because he had only known this guy since like, Friday. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I could use a walk.”

Keith’s smile brightened a bit. “Cool.” His eyes flicked to behind Lance’s head, “Your lady friend is coming over here.”

“Shit.” Lance bit his lip, “Do we have time to run?”

Allura’s arms came up around Lance’s neck, “Don’t even try it.” She stuck a hand out, offering it to Keith, “I’m Allura.”

“Keith.” He shook hands with Allura but his eyes quickly returned to Lance.

“How do you know Lance?’

“Allura, come on.” Lance felt his cheeks heat up and he was too embarrassed to even look in Keith’s direction.

“We met a couple of days ago.” Keith answered, “My band mates and I had to practice in the music building for a few days.”

“Oh!” Allura said brightly, “So you’re the Keith Lance has been telling me about!”

Lance blushed even harder, “Allura, seriously.”

She elbowed him. “So what are your intentions toward Lance?”

“Christ!” Lance shook her off his shoulders. “Allura. Seriously. We just met.” There was a bite of irritation in his voice. He looked at Keith, “Sorry. I should really be going. I have to work on that paper.”

“Lance!” Allura called after him but he was already blinding headed for the door.

God. Lance couldn’t be more embarrassed. And Allura knew Lance pretty well; she knew he hadn’t had a steady partner for years. Sure, he might’ve hooked up with people once in a while, but it never lasted. A lot left because he was bi. It was more likely that he would cheat. Gay guys thought he was just “playing”. Girls thought he was denying being gay.

It was embarrassing, humiliating actually. So yeah, the thought of commitment terrified him, but now Keith was probably creeped out. Now he probably wouldn’t get the chance to pursue this any further. He had made it out the door and a gust of wind blew the hair out of his face. He’d call Allura later. Apologize for his behavior.

“Lance!” The voice behind him was different. He stopped where he was on the sidewalk, then there was a hand on his shoulder, “Lance, hey. You alright?”

“Sorry.” Lance said again. Keith had come around to face him, “Your friend sent me after you.”

Inhaling a bit sharply, he nodded. “I was weird. I’m sorry.”

Keith quirked a brow. “Why do you keep apologizing?”

“Force of habit?”

Keith expression changed then. It went sad. A little confused. “Hey. Are you really ok?”

Lance shrugged, “Will you believe me if I say yes?”

“No.” Keith then reached for one of Lance’s hands and grabbed it tightly. “You still down for that walk?”

He just nodded. So Keith steered them in a different direction, away from campus and Altea. Keith didn’t say anything as they walked and Lance didn’t know where to start. So he stayed quiet too. He wasn’t sure where they were going, but Lance was grateful for a distraction. “What time do you have practice?” Keith asked suddenly.

“Oh. Um. Not until three.”

Keith checked his watch. It was only around 11. “Cool.” Then they kept walking. The wind blew Keith’s hair around his face and Lance watched it quietly. They both sipped at their coffee and every once in a while Keith would grip Lance’s hand a bit tighter. “We’re here.” He said suddenly.

They had stopped in front of a record store. “I’ve never been here before.”

Keith’s eyes twinkled as he looked at Lance. “I worked here for a bit before Page Ten sort of took off.” He pushed open the door with his elbow, not letting go of Lance’s hand.

Inside it was dark, a stark contrast from the bright day outside. The walls were lined with shelves and others sat in the middle of the store, seemingly at random. Every available surface was covered with records. “Cool.” Lance said softly. There was music playing over the speakers over the door, Lance recognized it, _Face Down_ by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. He hadn’t listened to this song in years. Keith had been watching his reactions and now he was grinning. “Can we look around?” Lance asked, a bit hesitant.

“Of course.” Keith finally released Lance’s hand and they both wandered deeper into the store. The guy sitting behind the counter looked up from his laptop and gave Keith a bright smile.

The guy pulled his massive headphones off his ears. “Kogane!”

“Matthew!” Keith said back, just as loud. Matt jumped over the counter and came up to give Keith a hug.

“Long time no see.” Matt smiled at Lance warmly, “What’s up?”

“We’re just killing some time.” Keith answered easily. “This is Lance.”

Matt stuck out his hand, “Good to meet you. Matt Holt. Only Keith calls me Matthew.”

“Because I know it annoys the shit out of you.”

Lance blinked a bit. “Wait, what did you say your last name was?”

“Holt.”

He shook Matt’s hand, “Do you by chance have a little sister?”

“You mean Pidge?”

Lance nodded vigorously, “She’s one of my best friends!”

“No shit?” Matt’s smile grew, “You must be one of her Berkeley friends. She’s a fucking pain in my ass.” But his words were fond.

Laughing Lance said, “I haven’t heard from her in a few days. Midterms must be killing her.”

“So it would seem. She wants me to bring home an entire pizza _and_ chocolate cake. Just for her.”

Keith had been watching this entire exchange with a light smile on his face. Matt must’ve noticed this because he elbowed Keith lightly. “Well its nice to meet you Lance. Hopefully I’ll see you around. Feel free to _browse.”_ He drew out the word “browse” and made a wave motion with his arms.

“Small world.” Lance said, his mood already much brighter.

“So it would seem.” Together they made their way around the shop, eventually ditching their empty coffee cups in a trashcan.

“Holy shit.” Lance said at one point, pulling out a record.

Keith wandered over, sliding his arm around Lance’s waist. “What did you find?”

“Check this out,” Lance desperately tried not to blush at how close Keith was, “I haven’t seen an exclusive _Blue Madonna_ vinyl in person.”

“Børns huh? Not stuff I’d usually listen to.”

Lance glanced at him, mouth agape. “Seriously? Garrett’s voice is otherworldly! I’ve done routines to a bunch of his songs before.”

They looked at one another for a long moment. “Well I guess I’ll have to give him a listen.” Keith’s smile was low and slow. His arm still hadn’t moved from Lance’s waist.

A blush flew up Lance’s neck. Turning back to look at the vinyl he searched for a price tag. “Maybe I should get this.”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Also,” Lance was digging around his bag for his wallet, “What time is it?”

Keith glanced at his watch, “12:15.” So they had been here for almost an hour. “Should we get headed back?”

“Yeah. Give me a second. I’m gunna go pay for this.” Lance headed up for the counter and Matt grinned at him.

“Find something?”

“I did.” Lance gently placed the vinyl on the counter.   
  


Matt nodded, “Børns. Solid choice.”

“I got to see this whole album top to bottom when Garrett was touring a couple years back.”

“Sick! _Electric Love_ is so fucking good.” Matt rang him up, pushing a bunch of buttons. “15 bucks.”

“But the sticker says 30.” Lance’s brow furrowed.

Matt shrugged. “We’re connected in a weird way. You got to know my sister, not a lot of people get to say that. Consider this compensation for all the shit she puts you through.”

Lance grinned, “Thanks. I’ll be back.” He finished up the transaction and met Keith back up by the front of the store.

“Ready?”

Lance nodded, grabbing Keith’s hand as they left the store. Clouds had started to gather and it looked like it might rain. But Lance felt significantly better than he had an hour ago. “Thank you. For that.”

“I didn’t really do anything.”

Shrugging Lance squeezed Keith’s hand, “You distracted me. That’s what I really needed.”

“Well I’m happy to be of help.” A couple of kids darted past Keith and Lance’s legs. “So, how many more midterms do you have?”

“Three. Jazz and just turning in some papers. What about you?”

“Just three. I’m done by Thursday.” Keith looked over at Lance, “So what are you doing for fall break?”

He just shrugged. “Staying here. I have classes I have to teach.” Lance could almost see the wheels turning in Keith’s head. “You probably have some grand plans, don’t you?”

“Nope. Page Ten was going to go on a tour but it fell through at the last minute. So I’ll just be hanging out. Finishing up the EP.”

Lance bit his lip. God he wanted to ask if Keith would want to hang out with him, but nervousness kept him from doing it. “All my friends are going out of state.” He opted to say instead. “Hunk, my roommate is going home. Pidge and Matt apparently,” Lance grinned at the mention of Matt, “Are going to Canada of all places.”

“And the girl at Altea?”

“Oh. Allura. She and Lotor are going up to Seattle. _Very_ romantic.” Lance finished sarcastically.

“Well.” Keith brushed some hair out his face, “I was planning on driving up to San Fran for day. Maybe… if this isn’t weird, you’d like to come with me?”

Lance had to swallow the laugh that almost escaped his mouth. “Seriously? I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

Shaking his head Keith pulled Lance closer, “Not at all. I’d love to have some company.”

They were nearing campus now and Lance was reluctant to let Keith go. He knew the second he was alone his mind would go dark again. Almost as if Keith sensed this he squeezed Lance’s hand. “Is there a day that you’re free?”

“Monday and Tuesday. The rest of the week I have classes in the morning and evening.”

“Are you ever not busy?” Keith teased a bit.

“I like to stay busy. Less time to think.” That came out a bit darker than Lance had intended. They had reached Lance’s building. Pausing Lance unlaced his fingers from Keith’s. “So, I’ll um, text you?”

Before Lance could quite process what was happening he was being pulled into Keith’s arms. “Yeah. Good luck with practice.”

Faltering for a moment Lance wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist and rested his head against Keith’s shoulder. “Thank you, again.”

Keith’s face pulled back and he looked down at Lance gently. “Hey. I got to hang out with a hot guy for a while. I’d say the pleasure was mine.”

Blushing furiously Lance hid his face in Keith’s shoulder. “You’re ridiculous.”

Keith’s laugh was low and deep. “I never claimed to be otherwise.” He finally released Lance and pushed some hair off of Lance’s forehead. “And seriously. If you ever need to talk I’m just a phone call away.”

Lance smiled and knew it was genuine. “Yeah. See you around.” With that he turned and headed back up to his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. Sorry this was so short and took so long to get here. One of my dogs has cancer and she has really been struggling lately. So my focus was on that. 
> 
> Next chapter will be form Keith's POV and it'll be THE DAY TRIP TO SAN FRAN. FULL OF POSSIBILITIES. It will be a longer chapter to make up for the shortness of this one. 
> 
> Until next time friends.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FLUFFY

**Keith**

“I just got off my shift and I’m bringing you coffee.” Rolo said as soon as Keith picked up his phone.

Keith sat back in his desk chair, “Thank you, but you really don’t have to.”

“You finished your midterms today! You deserve a treat.”

“I guess I can’t stop you.”

Rolo laughed, “Nope! I’ll be there in like five minutes.”

“Just let yourself in.” Keith hung up the phone and looked back at his desktop. He had been working on mixing some stuff for another band. He was also avoiding finishing Page Ten’s EP. The last songs were making him nervous. He was a perfectionist in some of the worst ways. His thoughts kept drifting until he heard a knock at his front door.

Getting up he opened the door and Rolo was instantly hugging him. Keith felt his shoulders relax a bit. He hadn’t seen Rolo since the day Keith and Lance went out for a coffee, date? Social get together? Whatever that had been. But normally he and Rolo never went this long without seeing each other. “Hey.” Keith said lightly, swinging them around a bit so he could close the door. “How was work?”

“Long.” Rolo released Keith and pushed a large iced coffee into his hands. “A bunch of boomers came in right when we opened and yelled at me because we were out of oat milk.” He collapsed on Keith’s couch, yanking his long blond hair into a ponytail.

“Remind me again why you keep working there?”

“Because I _love_ the drama.” Rolo looked over at Keith and grinned. “So. Fall break. What are you up to?”

“Staying here. I got shit to do for Page Ten.” Keith hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Rolo about his plans with Lance. Or he at least hoped they still had plans. He hadn’t seen Lance since Monday, but they had talked on the phone the other night.

Lance had tactfully avoided their little excursion on Monday. Well, they talked about it, points of it. Like the record store. Lance had told his friend Pidge that he met her older brother and they had both gotten a kick out of it. But Lance didn’t talk about the girl from the coffee shop, or how he was clearly struggling with some anxiety. And quite possibly some depression. Keith was no stranger to that.

He was bullied a lot as a kid, so teenage depression had followed him here. After his dad died it got worse. He did take meds everyday but his psychiatrist was hopefully he could start weaning off of it soon.

But Lance wouldn’t talk about it. Of course they hardly knew each other, but Keith wanted to be someone Lance could come to when he was struggling.

“Keith?” Rolo snapped a few times. “Where did you go?”

Blinking and rubbing his face Keith sighed. “Sorry. Just a lot on my mind.”

“No biggie.” Rolo turned his face towards the ceiling. “So how’s your little dancer?”

Keith glared at Rolo for a moment. “He’s fine. And his name is Lance.”

“Hm,” Rolo grinned for a bit, “Lance. Have you seen him since your little date?”

“Yeah.” Keith felt himself smile, “I ran into him on Monday. I took him to Volatile. Accidently met Matt, turns out Lance is best friends with Pidge.”

“No shit?”

“Yeah. Small world, huh?”

“What is he doing for fall break?”

Keith watched Rolo carefully. “He’ll be here as well. But he’ll be busy.”

“Doing what?”

“He teaches dance classes at a studio nearby.” Keith took a sip of the coffee Rolo brought and turned his attention back to his desktop. Rolo was getting weird again. Keith wasn’t used to this from him. And Keith had never stood in the way whenever Rolo wanted to date other people. Hell, Rolo had been a ton of people since the breakup. Of course Keith still loved Rolo, but in a purely platonic way. Rolo had always insisted he felt the same way. But what if that wasn’t the case?

An uncomfortable feeling bubbled up in Keith’s stomach. He really liked Lance. While it scared the shit out of him because it was all happening so fast, this was the happiest he could remember being. Lance would text him the most random things, Snapchat him ridiculous and adorable selfies. Speaking of Lance, his phone dinged with a notification. Lance had just posted on Instagram.

Glancing over at Rolo Keith saw that the other man was distracted. So Keith unlocked his phone and saw that it was a video. It was Lance and that girl from before, what was her name? Oh right, Allura. They were both doing a short portion routine Lance had created for his _Love It If We Made It_ midterm. The caption read: _Midterms are over but she still wanted to learn this part of my dance._

At the end of the video Allura tackled Lance into a hug and they collapsed on the floor, both laughing and smiling. While Lance was fucking adorable Keith felt a bite of jealously. Lance _had_ explained that he and Allura were just friends, but they acted so naturally together.

The video ended with Allura planting a kiss on Lance’s cheek as he grinned brightly. “What has got your panties in a twist?” Rolo asked, getting off the couch.

Before Keith could respond Rolo was standing behind him, watching as the video replayed. “Who’s the hot chick?”

“One of Lance’s friends.” Keith was surprised when his voice came out sounding bitter.

“Jealous?” Rolo ruffled Keith’s hair, hanging over the back of his chair.

“A little bit I guess.” Keith leaned back until he could see Rolo’s face, “Kinda stupid, right?”

Rolo shrugged before wandering back over to the couch. “If you’re into him its only natural that you’d get jealous. Especially if you wanna have something with him.” They met eyes, “Do you want something with him?”

Keith thought about it for a long moment. “Yeah. I think I do? I don’t know. We still hardly know each other.”

Rolling his eyes mightily Rolo replied, “The last guy I fucked didn’t even know my name. You’re already doing miles better than me.”

A surprised laugh fell from Keith’s lips. “To much information.”

“Your dick has been inside of me cowboy, nothing is too much information for us.” Rolo collapsed back on the couch and laughed at the blush on Keith’s face. He watched the other man for a bit then gestured. “Come over here.”

Keith got up and plopped down on the couch and Rolo leaned back up against Keith’s chest. “You deserve the best. And if Lance is lucky he’ll get to have a bit of the Keith Kogane experience.” Rolo’s voice trailed off for a bit, “Just don’t let him hurt you.”

Sighing heavily Keith ran a hand through Rolo’s hair. “Still a little early for that, don’t you think?”

“Listen. I know you. When you feel things you feel them with such an… intensity. Honestly it can be scary to be on the other end of that kind of affection.” Rolo looked up at Keith, “But it also makes whoever is on the receiving end extremely grateful. So what I’m trying to say is… this Lance guy is pretty lucky.”

Smiling softly Keith continued to run a hand through Rolo’s hair. Maybe that’s where some of Rolo’s resentment was coming from. Since they had broken up Keith hadn’t been in another serious relationship. People would come and go but the other person always left first. Honestly Keith hadn’t felt this way about another person _since_ Rolo. It was scary and new, but Keith wanted to try it. He and Lance… they could _be_ something.

“So please tell me you are going to take that boy out for dinner over break.” Rolo said, back on his phone.

“We might be going to San Fran. For a day trip.”

Rolo sat up and quirked his brows. “Any possibility of spending the night somewhere?”

Blushing a bit Keith pushed on Rolo’s shoulder. “No. I needed to go for some business anyways. I invited Lance but he hasn’t confirmed if he’s coming.”

Sitting back against Keith’s chest Rolo laughed a bit. “You’re bringing the guy you wanna fuck on a _business_ trip?”

“You suck.” Keith laughed and pushed Rolo off him and went back to his desk. “Usually I just ride my bike up. Should I borrow Shrio’s car?”

“I always thought the bike was sexy.”

“But do I really woo a guy by inviting him on a twenty minute bike ride into San Fran?” Keith was genuinely concerned about this. Of course he still didn’t know if Lance was going to come with him, but he highly doubted Lance was the ride of the back of a motorcycle type. “Should I just ask him?”

“Again, if I was this dude and you told me that you have a fucking motorcycle and that I’d get to practically _straddle_ you for any given amount of time I’d bust a nut.” Rolo threw a pillow at Keith’s head. “And if you wear that leather jacket? Swoon worthy.”

Smiling at his friend Keith down about half of the coffee, feeling some nerves. “Yeah, alright. I’ll ask him.”

Rolo stayed for a few more hours, they cooked some dinner with the meager findings in Keith’s kitchen. Watched some Youtube videos while they washed dishes, Keith’s apartment wasn’t big enough for a dishwasher. Eventually Rolo kissed Keith’s cheek and headed back home. If anyone from the outside had watched that they would think he and Rolo were dating. Hell, sometimes it felt like they were.

Over the years Keith sometimes wondered if it would just be easier to get back together with Rolo. Even if his feelings weren’t necessarily romantic anymore, it could still work. They could do like, an open relationship type of thing. But every time Keith talked himself out of it. They both deserved to find someone that made their hearts race. Keith rolled his eyes at himself. People wouldn’t guess that he was such a fucking romantic. But hey, Keith could dream.

He heard his phone ringing and he dug around on his desk until he found it. Oh. Lance wanted to Facetime. Looking in a mirror above his desk he saw his hair was a fucking mess. Running his hand through his hair quickly he answered the call. He was greeted by Lance’s smiling face. “Hey.” Keith said.

“Hello!” Lance said merrily.

As Keith watched him he noticed Lance’s cheeks were a bit red. His eyes were dancing. Keith wasn’t sure where he was but there were some other voices in the background. “Lance, have you been drinking?” Keith teased, sitting on his couch.

“Quite possibly.” Lance said, trying to sound serious. “Midterms are over! I haven’t had alcohol since _August.”_

“Make smart choices.” Keith couldn’t help but say.

“Ok, MOM!” A familiar voice called from the background. Suddenly Pidge’s glasses made their way into the frame. “Keith! Lance met my brother!” She was also obviously drunk.

Keith laughed a bit, “I know Pidge, I was there.”

“Why did I never introduce you guys to Matt?” Pidge was already was dipping back out of frame.

Lance smiled happily. “Pidge is part of the trio!”

“What trio?”

“My friends.” Lance said, already slurring a bit. Keith imagined Lance’s tolerance was probably next to none, especially if he hardly ever drank. “Hunk! Come meet the hot emo guy!”

“You even told your friends that I’m emo?”

Lance rolled his eyes, “And hot. Take your compliments when you can MCR.”

Keith was really enjoying this Lance. He was loud and silly and some of the walls around him had come crumbling down. Another guy took Lance’s phone for a bit. He had dark skin and some of the most beautiful brown eyes Keith had ever seen. “Hey.” This guy was clearly more sober than the other two, “I’m Hunk. Lance’s roommate.”

“Keith.” He tried not to blush. It was flattering to know that Lance was running around telling people Keith was hot, but it was sort of embarrassing to face Lance’s friends with that knowledge in mind.

“Lance is very drunk,” Hunk was saying, “But he just ate like, half a pizza so he should calm down soon.” Hunk’s smile was warm and friendly.

“So midterms must’ve gone well for him.”

Hunk nodded, “They did. He passed both his dance midterms with flying colors. He should know about the rest soon.”

There was a scramble of hands on Lance’s end of the call. “Hunk! You aren’t my mom. Keith doesn’t care about how I did on my midterms!” But he was giggling. Soon Lance’s face was back on screen. “Sorry. Hunk is _very_ proud for some reason.”

“Well you worked your ass off!” Hunk was saying, “Your ballet midterm almost broke you.”

Lance’s eyebrows rose up and he made eye contact with someone off screen. Then he burst out laughing. Keith found that he was grinning as well. Once Lance’s attention was back on Keith he said, “I agree. And I am proud of you.”

“Oh.” Lance’s face changed a bit. Went a little shocked, very happy. “Give me a second.” He got up and walked through what Keith assumed to be his apartment.

“Where are you going?” Pidge yelled.

“My room!”

“Oooo!” Pidge’s voice was basically a laugh.

“Oh shut up!” Lance called back good-naturedly. Soon he closed a door behind him and flopped facedown on his bed. “Sorry.” He was giggling again.

Keith climbed the ladder up to his loft and settled on his own bed. “What are you apologizing for?”

“For calling when I am _verrryyy_ drunk.” Lance turned his face to his phone, his cheek mused up on a pillow. His face grew serious, “But I wanted to see you. Hunk wouldn’t let me leave the apartment.”

“Probably for good reason.” Keith watched Lance as he got more comfortable. “So your jazz midterm went well?”

Lance nodded happily, “It did. And I mean I was dancing to The 1975. I felt more solid with that routine anyways.”

Keith wanted to say something about the video he saw earlier on Instagram but he didn’t want to come off as creepy. “Was that your last midterm?”

“Yep! That’s why I drank. I had some wine.” Lance’s cheeks were still flushed but Keith could tell that Hunk had been correct; the food was sobering him up a bit. “Are you done with midterms?”

“Yes, thank god. I had my last one this morning.”

Lance went quiet, he was clearly thinking about something. “Were you still thinking of going up to Frisco?”

Keith blinked in surprise. He thought he was going to have to bring that up. “Oh. Yeah. I was.”

“Sorry. That was probably weird. You brought it up on Monday and then I didn’t say anything…”

“No,” Keith sat up a bit, “Its fine. I had been meaning to talk to you about that.”

Grimacing Lance ran a hand through his hair, “You probably wanna make it a solo trip, don’t you?”

“Not at all, I’d love for you to come.” Keith blushed a bit, “If you still wanted to.”

Lance smiled again, “Yeah I would.”

“Cool.” Keith pulled on his hair, “So I only have a motorcycle, but I could borrow Shiro’s car if you’d be down with that…”

“You’re hot, you have tattoos and stupid amazing hair _and_ a motorcycle?” Lance was looking off in the distance, a look of disbelief on his face.

Keith blushed and laughed, “Uh, yeah. I guess?”

Lance began blabbering, more open since he was still a bit drunk, “I’ve always wanted to ride on the back of a hot guys motorcycle.”

“Well…” Keith shrugged and grinned. “You’d still be down for Monday?”

“Mhm.” Lance had laid down fully and looked like he was falling asleep. “What time? Ten-ish? That way we’d get in around 11?”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

“Cool.” Lance mumbled, settling his head on a pillow. “I’m glad we’re talking Keith Kogane.”

“Yeah, me too. Lance McClain.” He added in Lance’s full name at the end. Then he watched Lance’s face as it relaxed even more. His breathing slowed down. Much as he’d love to sit here and watch Lance sleep he didn’t want to be discovered doing so. By Lance himself or his friends. So he said gently, “Lance. Hey.”

Lance groaned. “I’m falling asleep, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, you are.” Keith’s voice sounded incredibly fond, even to his own ears. “You should hang up.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

A surprised laugh left Keith’s mouth. “You need sleep. And its creepy if I sit here and watch you do that.”

“Hm. I don’t think so.” Lance opened his eyes and smirked a bit. “Is it weird if I say I can’t wait to see you?”

“Oh.” Keith blushed furiously, “No. Because honestly I can’t wait either.”

“Lemme take you out for breakfast.” Lance mumbled sleepily.

“What, tomorrow morning?”

“Yes. I know this awesome brunch place.” His eyes closed again, “Lemme take you out on a date MCR.”

Keith’s smile came back in earnest. “Ok. Take me out on a date.”

“I’ll text you.” Lance opened his eyes one more time, “Good night.”

“Good night.” Keith said, and then ended the call. Dropping his phone on his bed he buried his blush in a pillow, smiling like an idiot.

***

Keith woke up the next morning at nine. Shit. He had meant to set an alarm. But the fact that he was up before noon was a miracle. Rolling over he dug around for his phone. There was a text from Lance.

_Wow sorry. My drunk ass embarrassed my sober self_ 8:40 A.M.

Smiling a bit Keith sat up and replied.

_You need to stop apologizing to me_ 9:02 A.M.

_I do remember asking you out on a date. Still down?_ 9:03 A.M.

Yawning Keith made his way down his ladder and sleepily walked to his bathroom.

_Of course_ 9:04 A.M.

_Cool. Can I come pick you up?_ 9:05 A.M.

_Yeah, give me like twenty minutes_ 9:06 A.M.

Keith brushed his teeth and leapt into the shower. He realized as he got out that washing his hair was probably a bad idea, it would take all day to dry. Shiro had gifted him with a hair dryer but it always made Keith’s hair frizz like crazy. Searching through his closet he bit his lip, trying to figure out what he should wear.

His wardrobe really only consisted of two things, cut off t-shirts and flannels. Plus black jeans. He did have a few pairs of blue jeans but he couldn’t remember where the hell he had put them. Eventually he got a dark blue flannel and some black jeans out. Lacing up some black combat boots he looked wearily in a mirror.

He looked exactly like he always did. But his hair was still wet. Heading back into the bathroom he tried desperately to towel dry his hair more. His phone chirped with a text.

_I’m outside. I’m in a blue Honda civic_ 9:45 A.M.

_Be out in a sec_ 9:45 A.M.

With one last attempt to make his hair look presentable he dug around for his wallet and keys and bounded down the stairs. He really shouldn’t be this excited, but Lance had wanted to see him before they went up to San Fran together. Once outside he glanced around until he saw Lance’s car. Walking across the street he tapped the window of the passenger side of the car. Lance looked up from his phone and grinned brightly.

He leaned across the car and opened the door for Keith. “Morning MCR.”

“Morning.” Keith slid into Lance’s car and before he lost his nerve leaned over and quickly kissed Lance’s cheek. “Feeling better?”

Rolling his eyes for a moment Lance waited for Keith to buckle up before putting the car into park. “Information for the future, I am the lightest of lightweights.”

Keith laughed, rolling his window down as the drove away from campus. “I don’t drink much either. Never really been the type.”

“I usually only do when I celebrate. Alcohol and dancing don’t mix well.”

“Congrats on acing your dance midterms by the way.”

Lance looked over at him and smiled, “Thanks. Now I have finals to worry about.”

“You have a while yet.”

“Speaking of which,” Lance turned his attention back to the road, “If you still want me in your music video would you be willing to let me document some of the process for jazz class? I can use it as part of my final project.”

Keith thought for a second. “I mean yeah, it should be fine. If you do make the footage public we would ask if you kept it back until we put out the video.”

“Of course.” Lance grinned lopsidedly. “Only me and my professor would probably see it anyways.” He turned down a smaller street and Keith noticed they were driving past a bunch of smaller businesses. “Oh and I finally have my schedule for the next couple of weeks figured out and I’ll have some free time on the weekends.”

“Cool. We are filming some in studio stuff next week. We can probably start hashing out some ideas for your bit next week too.”

Lance pulled into a small parking lot behind a brick building. “Hopefully I can match the image you have in your head.” He picked at some skin around his thumbnail.

Grabbing one of Lance’s hands Keith kissed his knuckles quickly. “I have no doubt.”

Covering his blush Lance opened his car door and waited for Keith to join him. “Well, here we are. This is my favorite brunch place.”

They headed inside. Keith was pleasantly surprised to find a small, family owned café. Apparently most of the staff knew Lance, they greeted him by name. “Hi,” Lance let a small older woman kiss his cheeks, “Abuela.”

She patted his cheeks. “Hello baby. You have stayed away too long!” Swatting his arm gently she looked over his shoulder at Keith. “Who is this?”

“This is my friend Keith.” Lance laced their fingers back together. So far they had gotten incredibly intimate with their hands. “Keith, this is my Abuela.”

Smiling softly Keith just nodded. “Your hair is too long.” She said sternly, placing her hands on her hips.

Grinning Keith apologized, “Sorry ma’am.”

“Abuela!” Lance made a face at the old woman.

She shook her head and grabbed two menus. “Come with me.” Leading them through a small maze of tables the old woman greeted all the costumers with a smile. They finally stopped a corner table, pretty secluded from the rest of the joint. “Coffee?” She asked.

Lance nodded, “Please.”

Her eyes met Keith’s, “Oh, yes please. Thank you.” He watched as she bustled away. “Well she’s something.”

Smiling a bit Lance said, “Sorry about the hair thing.”

“No, she’s right.” Keith ran a hand through his hair, which was already tangled. “I’ve been meaning to get it cut.” Lance handed him a menu. “So she’s your grandma?”

“Yeah, on my mom’s side.”

“Is your family from around here?”

Lance shook his head, “We’re from Ventura. My abuela and abuelo moved up here the year before I started at Berkeley.”

Soon they had coffee, which Keith began to drink gratefully. His body wasn’t used to being awake this early. After a while they ordered their food, Lance’s grandmother teasing him the whole time. She pinched his cheek and patted Keith on the shoulder. “So, they’re cool with you being bi?” Keith found himself asking.

“I guess. My entire family said as long as I was being safe it doesn’t really matter.” Lance grinned over his mug, “Besides I come from a really big family. I wasn’t going to be the only queer cousin.”

That made Keith laugh and almost choke on his coffee. “And I come from a really small family and my only cousin is also gay.”

Lance clinked their mugs together, “Hell yeah.”

Then they just talked. And talked. And ate their food, which was fucking delicious. Keith felt his heart swelling the more he got Lance to smile, to laugh. He had the most adorable crinkles around his eyes and the more Keith got to see the more he liked. There were dark circles under his eyes but they weren’t quite as bad as when they first met.

His hair was starting to brush the top of his eyebrows, and _god_ what Keith wouldn’t give to run his hands through it. His eyes sparkled when he talked about dance and it made Keith’s heart melt. Quickly an hour and half passed before Keith was even really aware of it. Most of the costumers that were in the café when they arrived were long gone. Lance’s grandmother kept the coffee flowing so they saw no reason to end their conversation.

Keith put his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. He could feel his face soften as Lance got more into a story he was telling about a dance recital from when he was 12. Lance noticed this and his voice trailed off. “I’m boring you aren’t I?”

“Not at all.” Keith quirked a brow, “What gave you that idea?”

“Oh.” Lance ran his thumb back and forth over the handle of his coffee mug, “I guess I’m pretty used to talking too much… I can get pretty overbearing.”

“Lance.” Keith’s face went serious, “You aren’t boring me. And you aren’t overbearing. You could never be. I’m sorry people have ever told you that.”

Lance blinked at him in surprise. “Oh. Well,” He looked into his coffee, “Good to hear.”

Keith felt a flare of annoyance flare up in his stomach. How could anyone tell Lance that he was overbearing? There was nothing more beautiful than Lance telling a story. Besides, Keith wasn’t much of a talker. Listening to Lance was the highlight of his day.

After even more coffee and pieces of pie that Lance’s grandmother gave them, “Free of charge!” She insisted, Lance finally looked at his watch.

“I should probably get you home.”

Keith sighed and looked around the rest of the café, finally becoming aware of his surroundings. The lunch crowd was starting to drift in. “Ok. Let me pay for this.”

Lance was already getting up and heading for the register. “Absolutely not. My treat.”

He was going to protest but Lance was soon out of earshot. Getting up Keith wandered into the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror. God, when was the last time he had looked this relaxed and happy? Fuck he was practically _glowing._ Splashing some water on his face he used the bathroom and then came back out into the now bustling café. Lance was still up at the register so Keith grabbed the jacket Lance had draped over the back of his chair.

He made his way through the tables, dodging a kid that went running by with a piece of toast. The mother tripped over an apology as she ran after the child. Smiling Keith finally got back to Lance and wrapped an arm around his waist. “Hey.” He said softly into his ear.

Grinning Lance relaxed into Keith’s touch. “I’ll come back soon Abuela. I have classes I have to teach.” He was saying.

Lance’s grandmother grabbed Keith’s free hand. “Please bring my grandson back soon. He is not eating enough. Look how skinny!”

“I will Ma’am.”

Squeezing Keith’s hand she said, “Call me Rosa. You are a nice young man. Must cut your hair soon!”

“I will Rosa, thank you.” Keith’s heart felt so full it might burst.

“Bye Abuela.” Lance said, shoving two twenties into her hands. “Come on,” He hissed to Keith, dragging him away as Lance’s grandmother protested being given money.

Once they were back outside Lance laughed happily. “We’ve been trading that forty dollars back and forth for years. One of us should really keep it but we’ve kept the joke going for too long now.”

Keith leaned back up against the brick wall of the café and pulled out his cigarettes. Lighting one up he looked up at the sky, trying to keep his smile contained. When he met Lance’s eyes he noticed the other man was pouting. “What?” He asked quickly.

“Nothing.” Lance just crossed his arms over his chest, “You’re just hot when you smoke.”

Keith’s laughter echoed across the street.

***

A few days later Keith was wrapping his hair into a bun at the base of his neck. The previous night Keith had walked over to Shiro’s place and picked up his motorcycle. Luckily he found a spare helmet that should fit Lance.

He still couldn’t quite believe that Lance agreed to the whole motorcycle thing. Keith kept insisting that he could borrow Shrio’s car but Lance wouldn’t allow it. Lance had never been on a motorcycle before. “I should experience it at _least_ once MCR.”

So here Keith was, staring at his reflection, getting prepared to have Lance _straddling_ him for a long motorcycle ride. Since they had gotten breakfast they talked almost constantly. This was the most Keith had used his phone since he bought it. He wasn’t complaining though. In fact he couldn’t be happier.

Texting Lance that he was on his way to pick him up he headed outside to his bike. It was an old black Harley Davidson and it had been his dads pride and joy when he was alive. But this would work to his advantage. If he was taking Rolo’s word to heart he knew he looked good on his bike. Plus it felt good to ride. It had been too long since he had gotten the bike out.

He pulled up a street away from Lance’s building; there wasn’t a street that ran directly by it since it was further into campus. Yanking off his helmet his shook out his hair a bit and looked around for Lance. “MCR!” The shout came from behind Keith.

Turning he saw Lance trotting towards him. He had on worn blue jeans, converse; a t-shirt with wording that Keith couldn’t make out, a flannel and a jacket over that. It was supposed to be a bit chilly today so Keith was glad to see Lance was wearing layers. He’d be such a dick if his date got cold when they were on the bike. “Morning.”

“You are _not_ fair on that thing.” Lance said begrudgingly.

Keith shrugged a bit, “Hey now, you insisted on this.”

“I did.” He took the helmet Keith handed him and put it on. “Ready to go?” He said, a bit louder so Keith could hear him.

“As I’ll ever be.” He faced front when Lance got on the bike behind him, willing his thoughts to stay clean. “If you need me to pull over just tap on my left shoulder.” Keith said over his shoulder, “And hang on tight ballet boy.” He saw Lance roll his eyes, but soon Lance’s arms snaked around Keith’s waist.

Pulling away from the curb Keith set out for San Fran. The traffic wasn’t as bad this early in the morning, but he figured by the time they would head back tonight it would be. He weaved in and out of traffic with ease, feeling totally at home. Every once in a while Lance’s arms with tighten around Keith’s waist but for the most part his partner stayed quiet.

It wasn’t until they were finally past the tollbooth and racing down the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge that Lance let out an excited whoop, raising his arms into the air. “This is incredible!” Lance shouted.

Keith grinned, kicking up the speed a bit. This was an amazing feeling. The open air and the shimmering water San Francisco Bay made ones heart race. Keith gestured off to the right of the bridge. “Maybe we should check out Alcatraz!”

“Not on your life!” Lance yelled, “That place is haunted as shit!”

Soon they were pulling off the bridge and Keith started to jump through the streets of San Francisco. It had been a while since Keith had been here. For a brief while Keith considered moving into San Fran, but decided the Berkeley area was better for him. Soon he pulled off the road and parked near Ferry Plaza. The Farmers Market was already in full swing. He waited for Lance to hop off the back and got off the bike. Pulling his helmet off he turned around to face Lance. “So, what did you think?”

Lance was shaking out his hair. His eyes were glittering. “That was so much fun! But the Bay Bridge has never been so terrifying.”

Laughing Keith locked their helmets to the bike, “Wanna hit up the Farmers Market with me?”

“Thought you’d never ask.” They linked hands and strolled through the stalls.

The sun was shining in Lance’s hair and Keith was finding it increasingly difficult not to kiss the other man senseless. There was something so intoxicating about Lance and his personality. He had such a passion for the simple things and it made Keith stop twice to think about his own life. They grabbed a quick lunch at Gott’s and headed back for Keith’s bike. “I have a quick meeting at a friends place, its up by Greenwich. I’m sorry for making you wait.”

“I already told you, its no big deal.” Lance grinned easily. “I can just take a walk. And hey, if we’re going to be up in that area we should be tourists and go see Coit Tower.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” The drive up to Keith’s friends house took a bit, it was a far haul from Ferry Plaza. But Keith enjoyed every second of it. Lance leaned his head against Keith’s back as the wound upward through the streets. Keith honestly didn’t know what he did to deserve this.

“I’ll see you in about an hour.” Keith said once they reached their destination. “Are you sure you don’t wanna come in?”

“I’m sure.” Lance brushed his hair out of his face, “Just text me when you’re done.”

Keith yanked Lance into a quick hug, kissing just behind his ear. “See you soon.”

Savoring Lance’s blush Keith sprang up the steps of his friends’ house.

***

A little over an hour later Keith found himself trailing up the stairs of the Coit Tower. Lance was obviously in shape and having no issues with it, but Keith trailed behind him. Lance was waiting at the top, arms crossed on the railing. “I’ve always loved the view from up here.”

Trying to calm his breathing down before approaching Keith squinted against the bright sunlight. Lance was right of course, you could see for miles from up here. Keith moved up behind Lance, arms braced on either side of Lance’s elbows. “I haven’t been up here in years.”

“Back when we weren’t so busy Hunk, Pidge and I would take weekend trips up here all the time.”

“I’m from LA so I didn’t make it up to this end of California all that often. But Page Ten has played bars all over this city for years.”

Lance turned his head, their lips dangerously close together. “Is that what your meeting was about?”

“Yeah. We’re planning a bunch of dates for November and December.” Keith nudged a fraction bit closer. Lance didn’t back away. “Tell me your favorite parts of the city. We can go see them all.”

Chuckling a bit Lance’s eyes darted down to Keith’s lips. “Quite the charmer, aren’t you?”

Keith just smirked and just as he was about to push forward a number of voices sounded behind them. A family wearing bright green matching shirts camp running out onto the lookout balcony. Sighing Keith pulled back a bit. “We should go. Midwestern families give me hives.”   
  


Lance laughed out loud, and then clapped a hand over his mouth. “Yeah alright, lets go.”

They spent the rest of the day gallivanting around the city. Stopping to get coffee and random bits of food along the way. Keith kept searching for an opportunity to try and kiss Lance again but he could never get the timing right.

As the day wore on Keith was certain he had missed his chance. He was too awkward to try and initiate it by asking, and he was still stewing over it as they headed for Bay Front Park. The sun was starting to go down and it was getting so romantic Keith felt like a fucking movie.

There wasn’t much talking as they wandered hand in hand through the park. Lance was naturally drawn to the water. He leaned against a railing and closed his eyes, tipping his head toward the smell of water. “Before I started dancing I surfed all the time. I was hardly ever out of the water.”

Keith watched Lance’s face for a moment. He looked so content here. The setting sun reflected off the light brown highlights in his hair. When he opened his eyes again his blue eyes sparkled. “I’ve only been surfing a few times. I suck.”

Laughing Lance tugged on a lock of Keith’s hair. It was finally almost dry, even after running around outside all day. Lance pulled out his phone and his eyebrows shot up. “I forgot The 1975 was releasing a new song today.” He pulled out some wireless headphones from his jeans pocket and handed one to Keith. “Its called If You’re Too Shy (Then Let Me Know). I’ve been waiting for this one for a while.”

Keith closed his eyes as the song started, feeling goose bumps crawl up his arms the longer he listened. This song had such an 80’s vibe, and when Matty’s voice finally came in Keith smirked a bit. When he opened his eyes Lance was watching him carefully, a ghost of a smile dancing on his lips.

They listened to the song all the way through and Lance paused the rest of his music. “That was fucking killer.” Lance said sounding dazed.

Keith nodded, “I can’t believe we get songs like that _and_ People on the same record.”

Lance started the song back up again, giving Keith his phone. He walked a short distance away from Keith and he started to bop his head back and forth with the beat of the song. Lance started to dance as the chorus kicked in for the first time.

He was clearly making this all up as he went, but it all looked so natural. Keith recognized some moves from Prince and Michael Jackson videos. Every once in a while he’d throw in a jump or kick, a style of Lance’s that Keith was beginning to recognize. Keith wasn’t capable of doing anything other than watch Lance.

Soon the saxophone solo kicked in and Lance really let go, closing his eyes and grinning from ear to ear. He started mouthing along with the words, whipping his head back and forth. And as the song came to and end Lance started to spin, clearly a more practiced version from his ballet training.

Keith suddenly felt that this was his chance. As Lance continued to spin he inched closer and closer. The song finished with a flourish and Keith caught Lance as he finished his last spin. He caught Lance at his elbows and steadied them both. Lance was breathing hard, staring up at Keith with a clear question in his eyes.

Brushing some hair away from Lance’s eyes Keith carefully leaned in. Then they were finally kissing and it was so _fucking_ perfect Keith felt like his heart was going to burst. Lance was smiling into it, his hands slowly winding into Keith’s hair. Their bodies swayed together so naturally, the smell of the water and the breeze blowing through the trees was intoxicating.

Parting for bit they caught their breath and stared into each other’s eyes. “I thought you’d never do that.” Lance teased.

“I was waiting for my moment.”

Lance laughed, pressing his forehead into Keith’s chin. “You are fucking ridiculous.”

“But it worked.” Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist, “And I’d like to do it again. If you’d let me.”

Lance answered by getting up on his tiptoes and pressed their lips back together. Keith was unaware of time passing as they stood there. He knew there were people walking by; a gaggle of teenage girls screamed whispered “Aw! So _CUTE._ ” In their general direction. Lance couldn’t be close enough. Keith kept trying to haul him closer, holding him by the sway of his waist.

Eventually Lance fell back on the balls of his feet and tugged on Keith’s jacket. “I think an old lady just cursed us.”

That made Keith laugh. “Sorry. Kinda forgot we were in public.”

“I did too.” Lance kissed lightly at Keith’s jawline, “But we should probably get headed back.”

“Do we have to?”

“I have a class to teach in the morning.” Lance replied seriously. “Plus, if I don’t get my beauty sleep then you’ll run screaming in terror.”

Keith titled Lance’s chin up, “Not possible.” He savored the light blush that dusted across Lance’s cheeks. “But I’ll get you home.”

Walking back through the park towards Keith bike felt surreal. Keith draped an arm over Lance’s shoulders and Lance laced his fingers in Keith’s hand. They remained in a comfortable silence as they strolled along. As they were strapping on their helmets Lance quickly leaned over and kissed Keith’s neck. “Today was good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.” Lance hopped on the back of the bike and wrapped his arms around Keith’s waist, “Thank you for this.”

Grinning Keith said, “My pleasure.”

The sun had gone down completely as they drove back across the Bay Bridge towards Berkeley. The lights of cities on either shore shone brightly, and up above Keith could faintly make out some stars. How was it possible to be this happy? All they had done was kiss but Keith felt like he was on cloud nine.

As they neared campus Keith’s heart ached. He didn’t want to leave Lance. Which was stupid. They had just kissed, of course that didn’t mean things _had_ to go any further. Keith did want to rip all of Lance’s clothes off and just worship his body. But Lance might not want that. So he supposed he should wait for a signal.

Keith parked his bike on the same street from hours before and hopped off the bike after Lance. “You don’t have to…” Lance started.

Quirking a brow Keith replied, “I am going to walk my date back to his door.”

“Good to know chivalry isn’t dead.” Lance quipped. Keith noticed Lance shivering a bit so he draped his arm back over his shoulders. Lance moved closer to Keith, wrapping an arm around his waist.

All too soon they reached Lance’s building. Lance looked up at Keith, suddenly looking shy. “Today was… really great.”

“Yeah it was.” Keith gently kissed Lance’s forehead. “Maybe we should do it again sometime.”

“Well,” Lance leaned into the kiss, “Maybe you could come over after my class tomorrow. Hunk flew out yesterday.”

Feeling his heart rate triple Keith managed a nod. “Sounds good.”

Laughing a bit Lance pulled Keith’s chin down. “You should kiss me goodnight now.”

It didn’t take any more persuading for Keith. They were kissing again under a street lamp and it was so cliché but so, so lovely. After a long while Lance finally pulled away. “See you soon MCR.”

Keith finally let Lance go. “Whatever you say Hot Dancer.”

Lance headed back for his door, turned one last time, winked, and then dashed inside.

Keith then finally allowed himself to smile fully, collapsed back on the grass and watched the planes and satellites up in the sky. God he was so fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm back. Sooner than I thought. But when I'm sad and stressed I write more. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. I hope to have the next one up soon!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Cartwheels into traffic because I love these two so much*

**Lance**

Lance woke the next morning with a pounding headache. He’d blame it on the alcohol but that was two days ago now. Rolling over he checked his phone. He had woken up 30 minutes before his alarm. Groaning he sat up gingerly. Why was his entire body sore?

Then yesterday came slamming back in his face. Holy shit he kissed Keith yesterday. A lot. Keith _kissed_ him. Lance grabbed an extra pillow and smashed his face into it. What in the hell had he done to deserve this?

Turning his alarm off he moved to the side of his bed, groaning as the pain shifted in his head. Was he getting sick? He dialed the number of the dance studio he worked at, holding the phone further away from his ear. Even the ringing hurt. “Hello?” The gentle woman that ran the front desk answered.

“Hey, Lilia. It’s Lance.”

“Good morning honey. How are you?”

“I actually kinda feel awful, is there any way Rachel could come cover my class?”

There was a humming on the other end of the line. “Oh I’m sorry sweetie. Rachel is out of town.”

Lance pinched the bridge of his nose, “Shoot. And its too late to cancel now right?”

“Unfortunately. We can always tell the parents that class is ending early today.”

“Ok.” Lance stood, trying to ignore the creaking in his bones. “I’ll do that.”

“I’ll have some Tylenol and tea ready when you get here dear.”

Lance grinned a bit, “Thanks Lilia. I’ll see you soon.”

Making his way to the bathroom Lance carefully brushed his teeth. Maybe showering would help him feel better. He stood in the hot water for a lot longer than usual and only had time to get dressed and grab some water before he left the apartment.

Campus was dead. Almost everyone left for fall break. Hunk had flown out the other day, so Lance had the apartment to himself for a week. Lance had already deep cleaned the apartment; it was weird to be alone.

  
As he shuffled across campus he considered putting headphones in, but the pounding in his head made him stop. It took him longer than usual to get to work, and as soon as he walked through the door Lilia shoved two Tylenol in his hand. “You do look a little pale.” She said.

“I think I might be catching something.” Lance quickly swallowed the two pills, “But I think I can get through class.”

“Alright. Let me know if you need to go home early. I can always watch the kiddos until their parents come back.” She patted his shoulder gently then waddled back behind the front desk.

Lance headed upstairs, already hearing some of his kids shouting. Closing his eyes and bracing himself he opened the door and forced a smile. “Good morning guys.”

“Morning Mr. Lance!” The kids all but screamed.

Waving a hand Lance said desperately, “I have a wicked headache this morning guys. So we’re going to take it easy. We’ll run through the recital dance a couple of times but then we’ll just have free dance, alright?”

James walked up and hugged one of Lance’s legs, shoving his forehead into Lance’s thigh. “I’m sorry you feel gross Mr. Lance.”

Smiling in spite of himself Lance hunched down and lightly tapped James’ forehead. “Thanks for saying so little dude. But I’ll be ok. You ready to practice?”

The little boy nodded solemnly and went to get his pointe shoes on. Lance opted to sit on the floor in front of the kids, seems standing made him rather exhausted. He had the kids run through their dance a few times then turned on a Kidz Bop playlist and let the kids dance how ever they wanted.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. A thought suddenly struck him. He had invited Keith over. _“Shit.”_ Opening his eyes he watched his kids gyrate around the room. Their parents knew class was ending soon and they should be arriving any time now. But Lance knew now he was getting sick. The Tylenol he had taken earlier were helping to keep the fever at bay. But as soon as the pills wore off Lance would feel like shit.

Fumbling for his phone he looked through his messages. He had sent a few texts back and forth with Keith last night but it was still only 9:30, Keith probably wasn’t awake yet. He’d try giving Keith a call once he got home. God, all he wanted right now was to breathe in Keith’s smell, run his hands through Keith’s _stupid_ hair. Brush his fingers across all the tattoos up and down Keith’s arms.

Lance’s throat tightened a bit and he suddenly wondered why he was about to cry. Tiffany and James came and sat down by Lance. “Mr. Lance, are you sick?” Tiffany asked.

Nodding Lance replied, “Yeah, I think so. That’s why we are ending class early today.”

James held one of Lance’s hands, “You need some chicken soup.” His voice was horribly serious.

“I’ll make sure I do that.”

After another agonizingly long ten minutes parents arrived to pick up their children. Some looked irritated that they had to leave their gossiping sessions early, but Lance couldn’t care less. His entire body was sore and his head was throbbing. Going down the stairs even hurt.

He said a quick goodbye to Lilia and then slowly crept his way back home. It was now around 10 A.M. so he dialed Keith’s number and waited to see if he would pick up. After the fourth ring a sleepy voice answered, “Morning Hot Dancer.”

Grinning in spite of the pain in his head Lance replied, “MCR. Welcome to the land of the living.”

There was a rustling sound on Keith’s end of the line. “What’s up?”

Looking up at the sky Lance squinted against the bright sun, “So I know I invited you over to hang out today, but I think I’m getting sick.”

“Oh.”

It suddenly struck Lance that this sounded like an excuse. “I’m not trying to ditch you or anything. Trust me. But I just had to end my dance class like an hour early. I think I’m running a fever.”

“Well shit. I hope it wasn’t because of the ride back last night.” Keith now sounded concerned, “It happens sometimes. People aren’t used to being in the open air like that.”

“Yeah maybe.” Lance reached his building and turned for the elevator instead of taking the stairs like he usually did. “But I uh, I wouldn’t do anything differently.”

“Good to hear. If you felt like shit why’d you go to work?”

Shrugging a bit Lance leaned up against the wall of the elevator. “No one could cover and it was too late to cancel.”

“Where are you at?”

“Back in my building.”

There was commotion on Keith’s end, “Is it ok if I still come over? Let me take care of you since I probably made you sick in the first place.”

Lance felt his face heat up, “You don’t have to do that.”

“But will you let me?”

“Well,” Lance headed down the hallway toward his apartment, “I’m not going to be a lot of fun.”

“Lance,” There was a smile on Keith’s voice, “You should know by now I just want to be around you.”

“Are you always this cheesy?” Lance chuckled a bit weakly as he unlocked his front door and kicking off his Nike slides. Dropping his dance bag he went and collapsed on the couch.

“Only with you.”

“Christ.” But Lance was smiling. “Well… we could watch a movie. Maybe.”

“Or two. And I’ll make you soup.”

“You’re too kind MCR.”

“So you’re going to let me come over?”

Lance weighed the pros and cons for mere seconds. Normally Hunk would be here and would make Lance sleep and make sure he drank water. But he wasn’t here and Lance didn’t want to be alone. Not right now. And its not like the apartment was a mess, he had cleaned the other day. But was he ready for Keith to see him whiny and sick? Sighing heavily he said, “Yeah. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Keith laughed a bit. “I’ll be over soon.”

He suddenly realized Keith didn’t know the code to get into the building. Again thoughts raced through his mind. He could of course just give Keith the code, but would that make Lance seem desperate? Did he even want Keith to know? There was also the issue of the apartment number. But Lance’s fever addled brain worked against common sense. “There’s a code you have to put in the door to get in. I’ll text it to you. I’m on the fourth floor, apartment six.”

“Alright. See you soon. Drink some water.”

“Will do emo boy.”

Ending the call Lance texted Keith the code and then dropped his phone on the floor next to the couch. Keith told him to drink some water but he was too lazy to get up. His body was starting to heat up as the fever took hold. Damnit. Lance had wanted today to go a bit… differently.

Those kisses yesterday were so intoxicating, and Lance had wanted so much more. Keith was a good fucking kisser. Plus he had a couple inches on Lance; he had always liked taller guys. But it was kinda scary to think of taking that next step so soon. Even though Lance really, _really_ liked Keith they still didn’t know a whole lot about one another. And who knows, maybe sex would ruin the vibe they had going. Maybe it was ok to wait.

God he sucked at this. He was stewing his thoughts longer than he thought; a knock on the door scared him into a sitting position. “Shit.” He mumbled. The quick movement made his head throb. “Its open!” He called.

Keith peaked his head inside and grinned a bit awkwardly. “Hey.” His voice still held the slight tinge of sleep.

Grinning Lance stood up slowly and moved for the door. “Hi.” He ushered Keith inside and closed the door, leaning back up against it. “Sorry. I wanted today to go a bit… differently.”

Keith cocked a brow and moved forward slightly, getting up in Lance’s space. He put a hand on Lance’s forehead, just like Lance’s mom used to do. “You’re burning up.” Keith’s voice was soft and soothing. “You should lie down.”

Lance rolled his eyes a bit. “I’m ok.”

After a moment Keith quickly swept Lance up in his arms and carried him the sort distance to the couch. Lance protested a bit weakly, but kept a tight grip on Keith’s jacket collar. Keith set Lance down and brushed his hair out of his face. “Have you taken any Advil or Tylenol?”

“I did earlier. I think it’s wearing off.” He messed with Keith’s jacket, “We have some more in our medicine cabinet in the bathroom.”

“Cool.” Keith shrugged out of his jacket and draped it across the back of the couch. “Where’s your bathroom?”

“First door on your left.” Lance brought his knees up to his chest. He knew he was burning up but his body felt freezing. He was only in a t-shirt and dance shorts, maybe he should have worn more layers this morning. Keith quickly returned with some more Tylenol and a glass of water from the kitchen. “Thank you.” Lance said gratefully.

Keith noticed Lance starting to shiver and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped it around Lance’s shoulders. Then he stood, looking hesitant. Lance laughed a bit, “Get over here and cuddle me asshole.”

A surprised laugh left Keith’s mouth but he was quick to comply. He sat on the couch and pulled Lance back against his chest. Sighing Lance settled into Keith’s warmth. For a long while only breathing filled the silence. Keith’s hand slowly started to stroke through Lance’s hair. “I’m sorry if this is my fault.” He said quietly.

“Hm.” Lance looked up at Keith, “I don’t like being sick, but I already told you I wouldn’t do anything differently.”

Keith’s smile made Lance’s heart swell. Keith leaned forward and softly kissed Lance’s forehead. “I wouldn’t either.”

Sitting up a bit Lance grabbed the remote for the T.V. and then quickly retreated back into Keith’s arms. “Wanna watch a movie?”

“You’re the sick one. I’ll do whatever you want today.”

Lance tried not to let that statement rile him up. “Once again, you are too kind.” Turning on the T.V. he scrolled through some apps and opened up Netflix. “Is there a genre you absolutely hate?”

“Bullshit comedies. I hate slapstick humor.”

“God me too. Adam Sandler was put on this planet just to annoy this shit out of people.”

Laughing Keith went back to running his hand through Lance’s hair. “I completely agree.”

Lance scrolled through his account, wondering what he had the attention span to pay attention to. Then an idea sprung into his head. “Have you ever watched _Pride and Prejudice_?”

“I can’t say that I have.”

“Hm.” Lance clicked on the description. “The only movie version I tolerate is the 2005 release. It has Keria Knightley _and_ Matthew MacFadyen in it. My bi ass can hardly stand it.”

Again Keith laughed, and he pulled Lance in a little closer. “Well if you like it then I’m willing to give it a try.”

Blushing a bit Lance said, “We can always watch something you like.”

“Nope.” Keith stole the remote out of Lance’s hand, “I think I had to read _Pride and Prejudice_ in high school, but I don’t remember much.” He started the movie up, even as Lance protested. “You’ll just have to keep me up to speed.” Keith relaxed a bit more on the couch, settling Lance back against his chest.

So there they were, Lance sick as shit and Keith either running his hand through Lance’s hair so stroking his back tenderly. _“How the hell did I end up in this situation?”_ Lance kept thinking. He was getting drowsy but he wanted to stay awake so he could explain the movie to Keith. “So that Elizabeth. Mostly goes by Lizzy. Kitty, she’s annoying as shit.” As the sister filed through Lance felt his voice started to get a bit rough. Keith pressed the glass of water back into his hand.

As the movie went along Lance felt himself getting swept up in the story. P&P had always been one of his favorite novels, and this movie had probably the best adaptation. And when Mr. Darcy finally made his first one screen appearance Keith mumbled, “Well fuck, he’s hot.” This made Lance laugh out loud.

About halfway through the movie Lance was really starting to get sleepy. Keith kissed his forehead again, “I’ll make you some soup. You can sleep until its ready.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Lance mumbled.

Keith gently got up and paused the movie. Almost as soon as Lance closed his eyes he nodded off. He wasn’t sure how long he slept, but soon he was aware of Keith gently shaking him awake. “Hey.” He stroked a hand along Lance’s face, “Do you want to move to your bed? You’ll probably be more comfortable.”

“Hm. How long was I asleep?”

“About an hour.” Keith grinned softly, “I didn’t want to wake you. But you flipped over and almost fell off the couch.”

Giggling a bit Lance sat up, rubbing his eyes. He was suddenly aware of the delicious smell coming form the kitchen. “Did you actually make me soup?”

“I’m a man of my word.” Keith got up and went into the kitchen and returned with two bowls of soup and a packet of crackers clenched between his teeth. Handing one to Lance he slipped a spoon out of the pocket of his flannel shirt. Then he sat down next to Lance and grinned. “I hope that was ok I guess, that I raided your kitchen.”

Crossing his legs underneath him Lance let the steam wash over his face. “Perfectly fine with me. Though if Hunk was home he would’ve killed you.”

Keith chuckled. “Hunk is your roommate right?”

“Yep.” Lance sipped at the soup and felt some relief on his sore throat, “We met freshman year. We started living together sophomore year.”

“I sort of met him on that Facetime call the other night right?”

Lance blushed a bit, “Yeah. He’s my best friend. He’s a wicked amazing cook. Probably one of the only reasons I keep a healthy diet is because of him.” Looking over at Keith he saw a wistful expression cross his face. “What’s on your mind?”

“Oh, nothing really. Just thinking of a friend of mine that’s like that.” Keith carefully brushed some hair behind Lance’s ear, “Your hair is getting long.”

Groaning Lance said, “Yeah I know. I need to get it cut.”

“No, I like it.”

“Oh.” Lance blushed harder, hiding it in his bowl of soup. “This is good.” He said, changing the subject. “What is it?”

“Its my moms recipe. She calls it garbage soup.”

“Ha! Really?”

“Yep. You kinda just work with the materials you have and throw it all in some broth.”

“Sounds like a level of cooking I could handle.” Lance grinned and they both fell back into a comfortable silence. When Lance was done eating Keith took their bowls back into the kitchen and Lance heard him bustling around as he cleaned up. Leaning his head back up against the couch Lance tried to keep his composure. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had treated him like this.

Sure he had Hunk, Pidge and Allura, but they normally left Lance to his own devices. They all knew him so well that some of his anxious behaviors didn’t concern them anymore. Of course Hunk would take care of Lance while he was sick, but this was different. Comforting, a little scary, but all so brand new.

He and Keith met eyes when Keith came out of the kitchen and the taller man leaned up against the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. “I can get going if you want me out of your hair.”

Lance just shook his head, “You want to leave in the middle of P&P?”

Chuckling a bit Keith floated back over to the couch. Then an idea suddenly struck Lance. “Come with me.” He dropped the blanket on the couch, turning off the T.V. and grabbing Keith’s hand. Before he lost his nerve he led Keith back to his bedroom. His bed was still unmade, as he hadn’t had the energy to make it before he left for work. But there weren’t any embarrassing clothes or posters or anything that Keith could judge Lance for.

“You’re right,” Lance said, too embarrassed to face Keith, “The couch was getting uncomfortable.”

Keith moved up behind Lance and wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist. “Whatever you want.” He whispered gently in Lance’s ear.

Lance went and grabbed his laptop off his desk and crawled onto his bed. Keith followed suit, sitting back up against the headboard and pulled Lance toward him. Lance went through the motions of unlocking his laptop and getting Netflix set up.

“Who’s that?” Keith asked, gesturing to a poster above Lance’s desk.

Looking up at the poster Lance grinned a bit. “Rudolf Nureyev. One of my ballet idols. Some consider him to have been the greatest ballet dancer of his generation.”

“He looks intense.”

“He was. He was in movies and choreographed, but he died of AIDS in 1993. The world lost a great talent. He was only 54.”

“Shit.” Keith mumbled, pulling some blankets up around the both of them. “So did he have any partners?”

“Two that we really know of. Erik Bruhn and Robert Tracy.” Lance opened up a new tab. “There are some videos of his dancing. Can I show you?”

“Of course.”

So Lance showed Keith some of his favorite Nureyev videos. He talked enthusiastically about the way the Russian man moved, some of the iconic bits in Swan Lake and other routines. His throat was getting a bit raw, so he stopped talking and just watched the videos. Lance tried to model some of his own dancing after Nureyev’s. He felt Keith press a kiss to his forehead, his cheek and finally his neck. “What was that for?”

“You’re cute when talk about your passions.”

Lance chose not to answer. No one had ever said that to him before. Over the years he had learned to curve his own desires to talk about his passions. People would get overwhelmed or bored. Or cut him off in a very obvious way. Keith kissed his neck again and Lance finally went back to Netflix.

Keith pulled Lance a bit closer. “I swear to shit if Elizabeth doesn’t wise up and get with Darcy I will.”

Laughing a bit Lance started up the movie. Keith was silent and breathless during Darcy’s first confession scene, and Lanced mouthed along with _“Most ardently.”_ They were both angry when Jane returned from London, seething when Kitty showed up with the solider.

_“I love, I love… I love you. You have bewitched me, body and soul.”_

“Jesus.” Keith whispered. “If anyone said that to me I think I’d pass out.”

“Lizzy is one lucky bitch.” Lance quipped. He noticed that Keith got pretty emotional during the scene where Lizzy was explaining her love to Darcy to her father. That’s right, Keith had said something about his father being gone. So Lance held one of Keith’s hands, softly kissing his knuckles. Soon the movie ended and the pair sat in silence for a bit.

Keith sucked in a breath, “I don’t remember the book being that good.”

“That was one of the closest movie adaptations.” Lance looked up at Keith, “So you liked it?”

“I did.” Keith leaned down and kissed Lance’s forehead again, “Thank you for showing it to me.”

Yawning a bit Lance felt exhaustion pulling at him. It was late afternoon now. Keith had stayed a lot longer than Lance thought he would. “We could watch another movie…” Lance tried weakly.

“Much as I’d love to, you need rest.”

Lance swallowed a bit, closing his laptop. Pushing it away a bit he sat up, drawing his knees up to his chest. He didn’t want Keith to leave, but it was stupid to ask him to stay. “Thanks for coming over. You really didn’t have to.” His voice sounded tight.

Keith crowded back into Lance’s space. His forehead was on the back of Lance’s neck. “I can stay a bit longer.”

It was scary how well Keith could read him. “Really you don’t have to.” Before Lance could say any more Keith yanked them both down on the bed, Lance’s head on Keith’s chest. “Ok then.” Lance said, already feeling a bit better. God he was pathetic. There was no way Keith was doing this because he felt for Lance. He probably just felt guilty. Swallowing down all the dark voices in his head Lance gently ran his fingers over some of the tattoos on Keith’s arms. “These are so cool.”

Keith hummed and Lance felt it vibrate through his head. “I kinda wanna get part of that arm blacked out.”

“Blacked out?” Lance knew next to nothing about tattoos.

Keith’s over arm came up around Lance’s waist and he pointed to a few tattoos on his left arm. “I got a bunch of these from my friend that was learning how to tattoo. The memories are fun but they look like shit. Basically blacking out means covering an area of skin in all black.”

“So you’d just have a thick black band around your arm?”

“Yep. Might look like I tried to do it on purpose.” There was mirth in Keith’s voice.

Lance ran his fingers over some of the tattoos. “Which one is your favorite?”

“Hm.” Keith reached down and lifted his shirt up a bit to reveal his left hipbone. A large black and gray design swirled over it. In the center of the design was a hand holding skull.

“What is it?”

“My dad was obsessed with _Hamlet_ and I remember being really little and listening to him read it. He sort of passed his obsession down to me. His favorite monologue was the _‘Alas, Poor Yorick’_ one.”

“Oh, when Hamlet holds the creepy skull?”

Keith chuckled, “Yeah, that’s the one. I went and got this a couple years before he died. He wanted to get the same thing as me but I went pretty extreme.”

Ever so carefully Lance reached out a hand and ran it over the intricate design. “I never read _Hamlet._ Did get a healthy dose of _Romeo and Juliet_ though.”

“God, that play is overrated.”

“I remember being 15 and thinking it was very romantic.” Lance pretended not to notice the goose bumps running up and down Keith’s arms as he traced the tattoo. “What do you like about _Hamlet_?”

“Hm. Hard to pinpoint the exact reason. I’ve always just related to Hamlet. Especially after I lost my own dad. Hamlet is a lot more complicated than people make him out to be. Plus I’m so gay for Horatio.”

Lance looked at Keith, grinning a bit, “Isn’t Horatio just a side character?”

Keith scoffed, “Absolutely not. Hell he’s the only person Hamlet truly trusts.”

Thinking for a bit Lance said, “I’ll have to go back and read it then.”

“Good. I need somebody to yell about that play with.”

Keith eventually pulled his shirt back down and he stroked a hand up and down Lance’s arm. Lance felt so safe and warm and it was making his head and heart scream totally separate things. His heart was head over heels, already yearning for so much more. On the other hand his head was screaming, throwing alarm after alarm into Lance’s system. _“This is happening too fast! Keith probably just feels guilty! Why would someone like him waste time on me?”_

He knew he was drifting off and Keith slowly slid out from underneath him. Keith tenderly pulled the covers up higher over Lance’s body and readjusted his pillow. “Get some sleep dancer boy.” His lips ghosted over Lance’s forehead.

“You’re pretty great, you know that?” Lance mumbled sleepily.

“You just like me for my tattoos.” Keith teased.

“Hm. Probably.” Lance cracked open one eye, “Text me when you get home.”

“I will.” Then Keith reached down like he was about to kiss Lance.

“No don’t.” Lance hid his face in his pillow; “I’ll get you sick.”

Carefully Keith pulled Lance’s face from its hiding place, “I’ll take the risk.” Then their lips met and Lance briefly wondered why he protested in the first place. The kiss was horribly sweet and tender and Lance felt like he melted into his mattress. “I’ll talk to you soon.” With that Keith shut off Lance’s light and left the apartment, the front door clicking softly shut behind him.

It wasn’t long before Lance drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

***

The rest of fall break passed without too much excitement. Lance was sick for another day but he wouldn’t let Keith come over, lest he get sick too. So Lance sat in bed, researching the newest trends in partner dancing. He and Allura were going to try to knock out their routine when she got back from Seattle. It would give them about three days before the competition, but they had put routines together in less time before.

Every once in a while he would send Allura a video to get her thoughts, but she was slow to reply. Of course she was busy in Seattle, but normally she would at least try to answer Lance.

He and Keith texted almost constantly, and Keith even sent over a few clips of Page Ten’s new and unreleased songs. He also sent over the song Lance would be dancing for so he could get a feel for it. The rest of the guys in Page Ten wanted to start filming next week.

When Lance had first received the sound file he had put his headphones and closed his eyes and listened to it, letting the sounds envelop him. He could already start to see a vision for what he wanted to do, and once he felt better he’d try some things out.

He also dug through the collection of books he and Hunk had collected until he found a series of Shakespeare’s works. Luckily it had _Hamlet_ in it. When he didn’t understand a particular passage he would text Keith and get an explanation. The more he read the more he liked. All the characters were dramatic and tragically doomed.

By the end of break he had taught all his classes, caught up on sleep and went on another coffee date with Keith. It was more like a business meeting; they had started to hash out more of the details for the video. And once they got dates for filming set Keith went back to being flirty, attentive and over all a fucking angel. It still made Lance’s head swirl.

Once Hunk got back Lance told him everything, complaining and praising in the same breathe. Hunk listened to the whole story and told Lance he was worrying too much. “Just go with it buddy. Keith makes you happy, and I haven’t seen you talk about a person like this in years. Don’t think too much.”

“I overthink everything!” Lance had shouted as he went back into his room, “I am the fucking king of overthinking!”

Hunk had just laughed at him.

***

“You got fucking _engaged_?” Lance shrieked, clutching Allura’s hand in his. There was a massive fucking rock on her left ring finger.

“Yes, Lance. Lotor and I are engaged.”

“You weren’t even dating when you left for Seattle! What the fuck happened?”

She glared at him a bit, “Well. You know I’ve had feelings for him for a long time…”

“Shouldn’t you try dating first?” Lance blinked at his friend in horror. “What if you end up hating being with him?”

“Well.” Allura ran a hand over the back of her neck, “We’re technically dating now.”

Lance stared at her, mouth hanging open. “I can’t believe Lotor _proposed._ Out of the fucking blue. Or that you said _yes_!”

“You’re making it sound like we were strangers or something!”

“It sounds like a movie Lura! And he did it over a candle lit dinner? WHY DID HE THINK PROPOSING WAS THE WAY TO GO?” Lance collapsed on the floor of the studio he and Allura were in, he was completely flabbergasted.

“Oh for fucks sake, Lance. I love him? Ok? And he loves me too.” She twisted the ring on her finger, “And you know our parents have been waiting for this.”

“Are you sure that’s not why you said yes? Don’t make your engagement into a business transaction.”

She sighed heavily, “I slapped the ring box out of his hand when he first asked. I did think he was insane. But then he explained himself and his feelings. I could tell he wasn’t lying. He wouldn’t lie. Not about this.” Her expression softened, “He was absolutely terrified. Of course he knew proposing seemed insane but… stranger things have happened.”

Lance sat up and patted Allura’s knee. “Well, as long as you’re sure babe. I’ll kill him if he hurts you.”

Allura rolled her eyes, “I am happy, the happiest I’ve ever been.”

“Well, congratulations I guess.” Lance smiled softly, “You better get the most expensive dress you can find.”

“Speaking of which,” Allura looked nervous again, “Want to be my man of honor?”

For the second time within ten minutes Lance was speechless. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He sputtered when he finally found his voice.

“Lance!” Allura wacked him over the head, “I’m being quite serious! I love you and I want you by my side on my day.”

Lance shook his head and turned his eyes skyward, “Ok then. When you put it that way I can’t really refuse, can I?”

“No.” Allura’s voice was much more cheerful now, “Now, shall we finally figure out this dance so Dr. Jenkins will get off our asses?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL ????? This is a chapter I guess. Most of the next chapter will be the filming of Page Ten's video and I have SO MANY ideas and I can't wait for you guys to read them. See you soon!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Music video time!

**Keith**

He had always hated filing music videos. Not the process, no. But being the center of attention. Since he sang all the lead vocals for Page Ten the directors of the videos usually wanted Keith to be the focal point. So here he was, dressed in something he found rather ridiculous, twenty massive lights all around him.

Shiro and Adam were there as well of course, but they were content to hang out in the background. Adam was in tight black jeans and a white cut off, looking more like Keith always did. Shiro opted out for regular blue skinny jeans and a gray flannel.

When Keith had seen his get up for the first time he had complained heartily. “Guys. I’m going to look so stupid compared to you!”

Shiro was clutching his stomach, laughing. “You’re going to look so _handsome._ ” Shiro said sarcastically.

Strumming his black guitar now Keith squinted up into the lights. Shiro hadn’t felt 100% on a couple of the shots so they were redoing a few. They were running a bit behind schedule and Lance was supposed to be here soon. When he and Lance had talked on the phone last night Lance had said he had a basic idea of what he wanted to do. But he wasn’t sure it would match the vision the rest of the guys had for Page Ten.

Yanking on the sleeves of his shirt a bit Keith looked into one of the cameras that was circling the area the band had set up. “Can’t I just change?” He asked again.

“If you change now we’ll have like three shots of you in something totally different and it’ll mess with the whole vibe.” Shiro ran his hands through his hair. The girl that was in charge of hair and makeup sighed then headed over to retouch Shiro’s hair for at least the eighth time.

“God fine.” He looked at everyone around the room, “Can we get this back on track?

Adam laughed merrily and adjusted the clear earpiece in his ear. “Please.”

The play back track kicked in over the speakers around the room and the band played, minus the actual speakers and amps. But of course they had to play and sing, otherwise the miming would look awkward and stunted. Keith played a tricky riff on his guitar and moved back up to the mic, singing along with his voice flowing out of the speakers and earpiece in his ear.

_And along we were spinning ‘round_

_Your eyes piercing mine_

_Dead and lightless_

_All but fucking Natural_

They had been working on this song for years now. It was one of the first Keith ever wrote, and it had been through a lot. As a band they had started to tease the release of the song, as they had played it live several times. But it was coming out for real now, along with the music video. Page Ten also didn’t do a whole lot of music videos, so Keith was excited to see the final product.

Just as they were finishing up with the second chorus the small side door to the building opened and Lance poked his head inside. Keith had to fight not to smile at him.

_Dead and gone_

_All but fucking Natural_

Keith swung into it; he and Shiro letting it all go. It felt good to be giving this song all his energy and passion. He was nervous about how it their fans would take it. After teasing a song for so long it could lead up to be a disappointment. The segment of song they were reshooting soon ended and the three men relaxed, all a bit breathless. Keith ran a hand through his hair, ignoring the poor hair and makeup girl in the corner.

Their friend Will that was filming everything smiled. “That was great guys. That should wrap up everything on your end.”

“Sweet.” Shiro gave Keith a fist bump. “Lets get our shit packed up.”

Keith grinned lightly and handed his guitar off to Will. Then he moved quickly towards Lance’s side. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Lance answered a bit nervously, “Sorry, was I early?”

“No, we were running a bit behind.” He leaned in and kissed Lance softly, then a bit firmer. “Feeling better?” Tucking some hair behind Lance’s ear he reveled in the other mans blush.

“I am now, yeah.” Then Lance blinked a bit, tugging gently on Keith’s shirt. “Good look MCR.”

Groaning Keith rolled his eyes. “I look like an idiot.”

“Are you kidding me?” Lance stepped back, taking a closer look, “Its very _Robbers_ reminiscent.” His eyes roamed up and down Keith’s frame, “People are going to lose their shit.”

“Over this?” Keith looked down at his black skinny jeans, black dress shoes and over the top, too big silk shirt. The shirt was a button up, dark blue with yellow and pink flowers running through it. Only three buttons were holding together, the rest opened up showing off Keith’s chest, and all his tattoos. The front of his shirt was tucked into his jeans, the rest hanging out the back. The sleeves rolled up to his elbows. “I look like a peacock.”

“Oh shut up.” Lance clutched his dance bag to his side, “You look hot as shit.”

“You two fuckers ready over there?” Adam called. They were just about done tearing down the bands stuff.

Glancing down at Lance Keith asked, “Well, you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” He replied softly. Touching his dance bag briefly he said, “I brought some clothes, but I can wear something different if you want.”

“Come here, I’ll introduce you to some of our crew.” Keith laced their fingers together and led Lance through the large warehouse. “This is Will, a good friend of mine. We’ve known each other since high school. Will, Lance. Lance, Will.”

Will stuck out a hand, pausing wrapping up some cord, “Will Lanster. Videographer extraordinaire.”

“Lance.” They shook hands.

“So you’re our dancer then.”

Lance laughed a bit, “I guess.”

“Cool. We’ll get started whenever you are ready.”

“This way.” Keith said gently in Lance’s ear. He waved to some of the people that were headed out. They decided they only needed two cameras for Lance’s bit. Adam was going to man the second camera, he and Will filmed stuff together in the past. “This is Mari, she’s in charge of trying to make us all look good.”

Rolling her eyes mightily Mari turned to face the two. “Hi.” She looked Lance up and down carefully, “Good choice Kogane, he’s hot.”

Lance balked a bit, then smiled a bit nervously. “Thank you?”

Mari smiled, “I’m sorry. Force of habit. Keith mentioned you might be bringing some of your own clothes?”

“Oh. Yeah. Its all black…”

“Mind changing for me? Then we can do some touch ups and you’ll be ready to go.”

“Yeah, sure.” Lance looked back at Keith one last time, smiling tightly. Keith could almost feel the anxiety rolling off him in waves. So Keith ducked forward, kissing Lance’s cheek lightly.

“I’ll be here the whole time.”

Grinning a bit as Keith kept kissing Lance all over his face. “Ok, ok. I get it.” Lance looked up at Keith and tugged on his shirt again. “Also, keep this fucking shirt. It’s a vibe.”

Lance disappeared behind a curtain. When he glanced over at Mari she was looking at him like he had three heads. “What?” He asked.

“Nothing. I just didn’t know you had _actual_ feelings.”

Adam and Shiro had headed their way and Shrio laughed out loud. “You’re preaching to the choir Mar.”

After a bit Lance came out from behind the curtain, still looking uncertain. He had on short black dance shorts and shirt similar to what Keith was wearing. But Lance’s was all black. “Is this ok?” He directed the question at Mari.

She gave him a simple once over, “Yeah, I’m fine with it. Guys?”

Adam shrugged, “I don’t know shit about dance. But I’m fine with it.”

Shiro just nodded, chugging a bottle of water. Keith blinked a bit, “Oh.” He realized everyone was waiting for him to answer. “Yeah, yeah. Its good.”

Lance rolled his eyes as Mari pulled him to the makeup table. She started to press some powder into his face, talking lightly about anything and everything. Keith could almost see the knots in Lance’s shoulders soften. He felt his heart pound a bit. God he had it bad for this man.

“Keith!” Will called, “Help me with these lights for a second would you?”

Wandering over to help Will he couldn’t help but glance over at Lance from time to time, just to make sure he was ok. “You two been dating long?” Will asked, handing Keith some cords.

“Oh.” The question took Keith by surprise, “I don’t think we’re dating.”

“Seriously?”

Shrugging Keith helped steady a light before it fell, “I’m really into him. And we’ve kissed, went on a couple of dates. But we haven’t had that talk… yet.”

Will grinned, “But you want to?”

Keith looked over at Lance, catching him mid laugh. Mari was carefully styling his hair and Lance looked to be in the middle of a story. He felt his heart throb, “Yeah, I do.”

“Shit kid. You’ve got it bad.”

Lance was headed their way, “Oh shut up.”

The shorter man came right up to Keith’s side, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Ok. So how do we do this?” He asked.

Keith glanced over at Will. He was technically directing this video. Will stood back and looked carefully at the open space in front of him. “Darker. We need it darker. Too many lights.”

“Which ones should we take down?” Shiro asked, down to business now. They were only able to rent this building for two days and they had used most of their time yesterday. They had to get Lance’s part done today.

After a bit of moving around and testing shots they finally had something Will was satisfied with. “Ok, Lance. You have the use of the space. We’ll just pump the song through those speakers and if you want you can use an earpiece.” Will led Lance to the center of the floor, “Just do your thing and we’ll film it.”

“Really?” Lance asked, unsure. “You don’t have any sort of vision you want me to follow?”

“Na.” Shiro’s tone was casual, “Even if we did none of are dancers so we wouldn’t know what to tell you in the first place.”

“Ok.” Lance jumped up and down a few times. He had texted Keith and told him he had stretched out before he came. “Let’s do this.”

Will and Adam got set up behind their cameras and Keith got ready for the playback. Lance looked up at him and nodded. Music filled the space and Lance rolled his neck, waiting for his cue. Then he was moving and Keith felt the same thing that he did the first time he saw Lance dance. While he was far from understanding what moves Lance was doing, he felt like he understood it, at least a little bit.

Lance had chosen to dance barefoot, his feet just ghosting across the floor. He moved with grace and poise. He looked at everything and nothing at all, those blue eyes piercing everyone around him. He had moved toward the edge of the floor, clearly gearing up for something. Then he was all moving forward quickly hopping a bit, and then did a front flip, landing it easily.

Keith blinked a bit in surprise. Exchanging a look with Shrio his cousin elbowed him. “You done good, Keith.” Shiro said over the music.

After another minute Lance stopped, ending with feet firmly planted on the floor, arms at his side. Once the music stopped he rolled his neck again and looked at Will. “How was that?”

Will was looking at Lance, seemingly at a loss. “I have no idea what you just did but it was incredible.”

Lance shrugged a bit, blushing. “I think I could do more.”

“Did you have any inspiration?” Will asked, adjusting his camera.

“Hm. This band my friend likes, called Bad Omens has this video for a song called _Careful What You Wish For_. Its pretty fucking wicked.” Lance hopped up and down on his toes a few times.

“Wanna see the playback?” Adam asked, heading over to some computers.

“Sure.” Lance followed Adam and then watched the screen, brows furrowed in concentration. Keith almost couldn’t handle it. Lance was so fucking adorable. As he stared at himself on the screen Lance was clearly formulating something in his head. “It’s missing something.” He mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I thought it was fine.” Keith came up behind Lance, bracketing his hands on the table in front of them. “Perfect really.”

Lance glanced back up at him and grinned slightly. “No… it’s too open when I’m alone. Its need something…”

Keith watched the front flip again on the screen and smiled. Lance was so fucking talented. Then suddenly Lance was struck with an idea. “I need a partner.”

Adam, Shiro, Will and Keith all blinked at Lance in surprise. “What?”

The dancer bounced up and down in excitement. “Just for a couple of lifts. I need a partner. It will make it look less empty.”

“Lance…” Keith began carefully, “We don’t have time to find someone else.”

“Oh, we don’t have to look.” Lance jabbed Keith in his side, “You’re gunna do it.”

Again the four other men were shocked into silence. “I am?” Keith finally found his voice.

“I mean it is _your_ bands music video. Unless Adam or Shiro want to step in.”

“I have to film.” Adam said immediately.

Shiro shook his head, “I can’t dance for shit.”

Will clapped Keith on the back, “Looks like its you my friend.”

“Lance, I have no dance experience…”

“Oh come, I just need you for a few lifts. I’ll show you what to do.” Lance was still gripping at Keith’s shirt. “We can at least try. If it doesn’t work out then we’ll just use the parts we already filmed.”

The two looked at one another for a long moment. Lance was looking up at him with a sparkle in his eyes and Keith knew he would never be able to say no to this man. “Ok, but I don’t think I’m dressed for dancing…”

“Mari!” Adam called joyfully, “Keithy needs a costume change!”

So ten minutes later Keith found himself in black leggings and the same shirt he had been wearing for the rest of the video, but fully unbuttoned, sleeves still rolled up to his elbows. He was staring at Lance, trying to understand what he was telling him. “Wait, wait. Slow down.” Keith pinched the bridge of his nose, “I didn’t understand a word you just said.”

“Ok.” Lance pulled Keith’s hand away from his face, “The first lift is simple.” Lance turned so his back was facing Keith, then grabbed Keith’s wrist, guiding his hands to Lance’s waist. “All you have to do with this one is lift me. Try it.”

So as gently as he could he lifted Lance, not sure how high he should go. “Good.” Lance tapped at Keith’s wrists, and Keith put him down. “So I’ll come at you from the right, like this.” Lance stepped away a bit, and then spun into Keith’s arms and Keith lifted him on command. “See!” Lance spun around and smiled at Keith, “Easy!”

“But the next one I don’t understand at all.”

Lance nodded, “It is a bit more complicated, but I think you can do it.”

Keith listened carefully as Lance explained. He was supposed to catch Lance just as he landed the front flip, bringing him in by the waist. Lance would wrap his legs around Keith’s waist and then Keith would dip them both, and Lance insisted his head had to just brush the ground. “You can do it.” Lance encouraged, “We’ll practice a few times.”

Shiro and Adam went out for a quick coffee run and Will sat on his phone, giving the other two some space. Lance reached up and pinched Keith’s cheek. “Hey. I trust you. But if you don’t want to then I’ll figure something else out.”

“Ok... lets try it. Yeah?”

Lance’s smile was brilliant. “Yes.” He went up on his tiptoes and kissed Keith quickly. “Come on and catch me MCR.”

So they practiced for a bit, Keith’s movements fumbled and a bit awkward. But Lance was able to work with Keith and turn the lifts into something graceful and light. It was one thing to watch Lance dance, but to be at the center of it with him was something else entirely.

By the time Adam and Shiro got back Lance felt they were ready to film a couple of shots. Adam and Will got set up behind their cameras again and Shiro took over Keith’s spot at the computers. “Ready?” Shiro called.

“Yep!” Lance said cheerfully.

While Lance was completely at ease Keith felt nervous and sweaty. Not a good look. But Lance was beaming at him so Keith forced himself to calm down. They were doing the simple lift first. Keith just had to wait in the wings until Lance spun toward him. At the last second Keith caught Lance with just one arm, lifting him up and spinning them around in a slow circle, staring daggers into those blue eyes the whole time. Then he put Lance down on cue and watched as finished the next bit as the sound faded away.

Lance turned to him, a playful look on his face. “That is not what we practiced.”

Shrugging Keith turned to Will, “Did it look ok?”

“Looked sexy as fuck.” Adam supplied, laughing.

“I say we keep it!” Shiro called.

“Good. On to the next one?” Keith asked, smirking and cocking a brow.

Rolling his eyes Lance went to get set up for the next shot. Now that Keith had had his way with Lance he was nervous all over again. He could seriously fuck up this lift and hurt Lance in the process. But Lance trusted him, so he decided to give it a go.

Again Keith just had to wait in the wings until Lance was ready for him. Lance waited for the music and then leapt, literally, into the next part of the dance. He did a flying jump, and then moved back into the corner, ready to begin his front flip. Spinning into it this time Lance landed the flip with ease, and Keith moved in to catch him.

And catch him he did. Lance’s legs wrapped around his waist and his hands clung lightly at his shoulders. Then Keith dipped down, and while Lance closed his eyes Keith kept his on Lance’s face the entire time. He set Lance down gently and Lance stroked his face before he moved away. Lance finished the dance once more, ending staring at Keith instead of into the camera. Once the music ended he relaxed, looking to Will for approval. “Better?”

Will nodded enthusiastically, “I think you’re right, it looks better with the lifts.” He turned to Shiro and Adam; “I can start editing this footage soon. Give me like, two weeks and I should have a pretty solid first draft that you can look at.”

“Awesome.” Shiro and Will clapped one another on the back, “Are we good to wrap up or do we need to film anything over again?”

“Honestly, no. Lance, you’re a natural. Thank you for the easy afternoon.” Will shook Lance’s hand again and began to pack some stuff up.

“Nice to meet you, Lance.” Shiro said, “You’re going to make this video sick.”

Adam swung Lance into a hug, laughing at the shocked look on the younger mans face. “Anyone that can make Keith relax like this is good in my book.” He joined his boyfriend in packing stuff up, kissing Shiro gently on the cheek.

Keith looked over at Lance carefully. He was blushing a bit, looking after the older men. Then he seemed to come out of a trance and met Keith’s eyes. “I’ll go change?” Lance said, then hurried away. Keith watched after him, feeling that bit of happiness bubble back up in his stomach.

“Keith!” Shiro called, and waited until his cousin was within earshot. “You can head out.”

“What?” Keith looked back and forth between Adam and Shiro, “I need to help tear down.”

Shiro sighed heavily, “Keith. Lance is here, for you and you only. And it looks like he wants to leave, but if you hurry your ass up you could, I don’t know, walk him home?”

Keith looked over and it did seem like Lance was going to come over for a quick goodbye and then leave. “Are you sure? I’ve never not helped pack up before.”

“Get your ass over there.” Adam said dramatically, “Don’t loose your chance.”

Grinning Keith headed back towards Lance. “Hey! Let me walk you home.”

“Oh.” Lance hugged his dance bag to his chest. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. I just need to change.” He glanced down at the leggings he was wearing, “I think I’d make old ladies cry if I went out in this.”

Lance giggled a bit, “Or doing them a favor.”

“I’ll be out in a bit.” He kissed Lance quickly and Mari didn’t even look up when she handed him the clothes Keith had been wearing when he got here hours earlier.

“Keep the shirt.” Mari said from her phone screen, “Lance is right, you look hot.”

“Mari, seriously.”

“Do as I say. You know I make you look good.” She glanced over at Lance, “Don’t fuck it up.”

Keith smirked a bit, “I’ll do my best.” He put on his own black jeans, but put that stupid silk shirt back on, tucking it in like it had been earlier. Coming out from behind the curtain he shoved some of his other clothes in his backpack and smiled softly at Lance. “Ready to go?”

“Yep.” Lance took Keith’s hand without a second thought, looking at something on his phone.

He nodded at his cousin and Adam as he and Lance left the building. Luckily this building wasn’t that far away from where he lived, maybe he could get Lance up to his apartment. “Thank you, for doing that.”

Lance smiled up at Keith, “No, really. It was my pleasure.”

Keith hesitated a bit, “You were beautiful.”

Squeezing Keith’s hand Lance moved ever closer as they walked along. “I’m excited to see the final result.”

“Oh, you’ll get to see all the rough drafts too. You are as much part of this as I am.”

“Really?” Lance looked surprised, but pleased, “I didn’t think…”

“Hey.” Keith kissed the top of Lance’s head, “Like I said, you are a part of this too. We’re in this together.”

“You just keep getting cheesier.”

The wind had picked up a bit so Keith pulled Lance even closer. “What else are you up to today?”

Lance glanced at his phone to check the time, “Well, I have about two hours. Allura and I have to practice. The competition is in just a few days. We aren’t as ready as we need to do.”

Ignoring the small twinge of disappointment Keith just nodded. “Can I come watch? On the day of the competition I mean.”

“You’d really come?” Lance asked.

“If you don’t want me there I don’t have to…”

“No, I’d love for you to be there.” Lance grinned brightly, “I don’t think you’ll like the atmosphere though.”

“Are dance competitions really like Dance Moms bullshit?”

Lance laughed and Keith felt it in his gut, “No. Not really. This will be a lot different. Mostly college kids like me. It’s on Wednesday. Allura and I go on about 1:00. But knowing these types of shit comps we’ll go on about an hour late.”

Chuckling a bit Keith asked, “So I should get there around noon?”

“Exactly.” Lance looked at Keith’s outfit and grinned a bit, “So you kept the shirt.”

Keith blushed a bit, “Well, you liked it… and I think you know now that I can’t resist you.”

This made Lance pause. He looked up at Keith and there was a glint in those blue eyes Keith had never seen before. Maybe he had said too much. But then Lance smiled, it was hesitant and a bit shy. “Good to know.” Lance said, smirking.

“Come here.” Keith stopped them both in the middle of the sidewalk and kissed Lance, a little too possessively for being out in public. Lance’s free hand gripped at Keith’s stupid silk shirt and it just felt so fucking _right._ So very whole. Parting just a bit Keith whispered, “Lemme buy you some coffee, and I promise you’ll get to your practice in time.”

Lance’s laugh ghosted over Keith’s lips. “You never fail to surprise me MCR.”

“How long are you going to keep calling me that?”

Lance straightened Keith’s shirt a bit, “Hm. Probably forever.” Then he tugged on Keith’s hand and they headed down the street in search of some coffee.

***

“Yes, I’m on my way.” Lance was saying into his phone, “And I am _not_ late. You’re just twenty minutes early, like usual.”

Keith was still with Lance, walking him to the studio building on campus. Lance’s friend Allura had called him as they were nearing the building. “Lura! Geez. It’s not even six yet. I’m already on campus.”

Lance looked at Keith and rolled his eyes. “Yes. You know I had a thing earlier today! Calm your shit, I’ll be there soon.” He hung up the phone and sighed, casting eyes skyward. “I love her so much but sometimes I want to kill her.”

Laughing Keith looked around campus. Now that fall break was over campus had come back to life. People were everywhere, on bikes, roller skates, and skateboards. There were blankets laid out on the perfect green grass, groups of friends gathered to study. It had been an immense relief to be done with midterms, but finals were already looming. “She sounds like a handful.”

“I think you’d like her. You’re both stubborn and too attractive for your own goods.”

Again the bitter sting of jealously lit up Keith’s heart. He didn’t even know Allura but he was jealous of the bond she and Lance seemed to have. Lance had said they were like siblings, but… Keith couldn’t help but want to be more important to Lance than she was. Shaking those thoughts from his head he turned his attention back to Lance. “I still think you’re the pretty one.”

“Dude.” Lance gave Keith a once over, “Don’t even start.”

They had reached the studio building but Lance seemed reluctant to let Keith go. “Walk me upstairs?”

“Gladly.”

When they moved inside the girl at the front desk perked up considerably. She graced Lance with a too large and much too eager smile. Then she noticed Keith and her expression darkened a bit. “Lance!” The girl said.

“Hey, Luce. What’s up?”

“Not much. No one was coming in today, besides Allura.”

“Yeah, we have that competition thing later this week.”

The girl leaned across the desk, making a large show of it. “Putting off practice till the last minute again?”

“Hey, you know Lura and me. We have great chemistry when we dance.”

Keith had to grit his teeth at that.

“Oh, Lucy. This is Keith. Keith, Lucy. She’s in the dance program with me.”

“Hi.” Lucy said, her eyes tripping down to Lance and Keith’s intertwined hands. “Nice to meet you.”

“You as well.” Keith knew Lucy probably wanted to strangle Keith. It was so horribly obvious that she had feelings for Lance.

“Well,” Lance said, blissfully unaware of the tension between the other two, “Lura will kick my ass if I’m late. See you around Luce!” He tugged on Keith’s hand and they headed toward the elevator together. “Luce is fun, and she’s been into me forever. I try to keep my interactions with her rather… limited.”

“You know she’s into you?”

“She makes it obvious, doesn’t she?” Lance pulled Keith into the elevator, then leaned his head against his shoulder, “I feel bad, but I can’t just cut her off. I’d be a real dick then.”

Keith nuzzled his nose into Lance’s hair, “You’re too nice.”

“Such a burden, I know.” Lance’s tone was playful. Once they elevator opened they made their way down the hallway until they got to the studio where Allura was already dancing.

She met Lance’s eyes, “Took you long enough.”

Lance made a show of checking the time on his phone. “Its 5:50 Lura.”

Rolling her eyes she finally looked at Keith. “Oh. You’re Keith right?”

“Yes. We met the other day. Allura, is it?”

She smiled at him but her true expression was carefully guarded. “You almost made Lance late.”

“Oh for fucks sake, Allura.” Lance put his dance bag down and turned his full attention back to Keith. “Thanks for walking me.” He pulled Keith’s neck down so they could kiss. It was light and over much to soon for Keith’s liking.

“Text me when you’re done.” Keith said quietly, trying to keep this conversation between the two of them. Seeing Allura in person made the jealously hard to ignore. “And thank you again, for today.”

Lance smiled up at him, “Of course. I’ll just call you when I get home. We can Facetime so I know you’re actually doing your homework.”

Groaning a bit Keith picked Lance up and swung him around a bit, then finally released his hold, kissing Lance one more time, “I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, MCR.”

Keith left the studio, making his way back outside. He tactfully ignored the daggers Lucy stared into his back. His phone buzzed with a text:

_Allura says you look hot in that shirt_ 5:57 P.M.

While the text made Keith grin a bit, he couldn’t help but feel terrified that Allura would eventually take Lance away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUN! So Keith's outfit is 100 percent inspired by Matty Healy's outfit in the Robber's music video. Please look it up if you aren't sure what I'm talking about. Picture Matty's shirt but blue. 
> 
> ALSOOOO here is a link to that Bad Omens video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abPWqIGMico   
> Its a sort of inspiration for Lance's bit in Page Ten's video.
> 
> Also also, jealous Keith. That is all. 
> 
> See you at the next upload!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oya? OYA OYA. Back again with another chapter because quarantine gives me a lot of time to write.

**Lance**

He lay facedown on the ground, completely exhausted. “Allura come on. We have this down. Spare me, don’t make me do it again.”

“The competition is tomorrow! Aren’t you the slightest bit worried?”

Lance turned his face so he could see Allura, well just her shoes. She was standing above him, hands likely on her hips. “Not really.”

She kicked his side gently. “Lance, come on. Just one more time. I promise.”

Groaning Lance sat up, trying to ignore the protest in his muscles. He had been telling the truth, he wasn’t worried. Allura and Lance had danced a lot in the past. They had an undeniable chemistry. He got up carefully, bouncing a bit and cracking his toes. “I am doing this one more time and then I swear to god I’m leaving, no matter what you say.”

“Why?” Allura’s tone was teasing, “Got a hot date?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Lance grinned a bit, in spite of himself. “Keith is coming over, Hunk is cooking.”

“You aren’t going to be alone?”

Sighing a bit Lance shook his head. “No.” Something worked in his jaw and Allura poked his side.

“Hey. Talk to me.”

“I want to be. Alone with him, you know? But I’m terrified.” Lance met his own eyes in the mirror in front of him, “I like him. I really, really like him. And its scaring me. Because I’m just waiting for him to open his eyes and realize I’m not shit and leave me.”

Allura’s expression softened. She really only got this way around Lance and Lotor. “You don’t really believe that.”

“I’m trying not to.” Lance looked at her, “But how else am I supposed to think? He’s, he’s… I don’t know. He just shines so brightly. I pale in comparison to him. I’m sure he’s just killing time with me.”

She grabbed him by the shirt collar, yanking him in close. “Now you listen to me, Lance McClain. You are one of the best people I know. You have so much love to give, and now is your chance to do so. Keith _is not_ wasting his time being with you. You’re making his life better.” Her eyes dug into his, “I know it’s hard. With the anxiety and all. But you need to try to look past it and see how much you’re worth. Ok?”

Lance blinked at his friend, then smirked a bit. “Jesus, Lura.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead, “Thank you, for saying that.”

She patted his chest and smiled. “Maybe being in love has softened my cold old heart, huh?”

“I still can’t believe your fucking _engaged._ ” Allura had her ring off it was in her bag. She only took if off when she was sleeping or dancing. “Oh, by the way, is Lotor coming tomorrow?”

“I believe so. He has a class he has to help teach, but he should be done in time.” Lotor was a TA for one of the freshman dance professors. “What about Keith?”

Lance nodded, “He’s coming. Still kinda surprised about it honestly.”

“Well good. You look good when you dance. He’ll get to see you in your element.”

“He already has though…” Lance rolled his neck and got ready to hit play on the song, “Like, multiple times.”

“Well, he hasn’t seen you dance with anyone else yet. That’s a totally different bar.” Allura moved to the center of the floor, getting ready as well, “But we can talk about that more tomorrow. Are you ready?”

“Yep.” Lance hit play and moved to the opposite side of the floor, facing Allura. He was still excited that he got Allura to agree to this song. It was bit slower paced, but perfect for what their professor expected to see. As the beat kicked in he and Allura took slow, deliberate steps toward each other, then Allura was running, leaping into Lance’s arms. He flipped her over his shoulders easily, it was a move they had done before.

Moving into a pas de deux Lance moved behind Allura letting her take the lead for a moment. She did a couple of slow turns, Lance helping to guide her elbows. They did a quick fish dive and moved across the floor and leapt into a grand jeté.

As the song went along Lance felt more and more confident. Lance played around a bit, singing at Allura and smiling when she desperately tried to keep a straight face.

_And I’ll take you by_

_The side_

Lance lifted Allura by her side just in sync with the lyrics. He caught glimpses of the both of them in the mirror and he knew they looked stunning. What with their dark skin and Allura’s bright shock of white hair, their height difference just right. And even though Lance was exhausted he was having fun, and by the last lift he had a genuine smile on his face.

Lance considered himself to be a decently strong guy, hell he could lift Allura clear over his head without issue. A sudden image of Keith lifting him flashed through his brain and his arms went a bit wobbly. But he still managed to set Allura down perfectly and they ended with Lance dipping Allura, her arms slack and just grazing the floor.

Once the song ended Lance helped Allura up, steadying her shoulders. “How was that?” He asked.

“Good, right up until the end.” She raised a brow, “That lift was a little shaky.”

“Because I’ve done it like, 40 times today.” Lance wasn’t about to let her know that he thought about Keith and almost dropped her. “Are you satisfied now? I need to get home so I can shower.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “Do you want to meet here before we go tomorrow?”

“Sure. Ten sound good to you?”

Allura was taking off her shoes, “Yep. Is it my turn to drive? I can’t remember.”

As Lance took off his shoes his head titled in thought. “Was the last comp in September or August?”

They both looked at one another, deep in thought. Then they both laughed. “I’ll drive.” Allura said, her expression horribly fond. Lance truly didn’t know what he’d do without her. She got up and headed for the door, kissing the top of his head as she went. “Good luck with Keith tonight.”

“Thanks Lura. See you tomorrow.”

Lance finished putting on different shoes and put his headphones in. Checking the time he saw that he had about an hour before Keith was supposed to come over. He decided to jog home. Turning up the volume on his phone he shuffled through some songs until he came across DIAMONDS by Scarypoolparty. He was a new artist and his sound was captivating and a bit haunting. Lance wanted to try to do a routine to a song eventually.

It was cooler today and rain clouds were starting to gather overhead. Lance hoped it would hold off until Keith was able to get home. He walked almost everywhere he went. But then again it wouldn’t be so bad if Keith had to stay longer and wait for the rain to subside.

Lance made it back to his apartment in no time, bounding up the stairs in anticipation. He passed some of the other residents of the building and he gave them blinding smiles. Lately he had just been… happy. Keith made him really happy. Of course when Lance was alone and thought too much some of those darker thoughts creeped in. But Keith’s deep devotion and affection pushed the bad moments away. It had been a long time since Lance had felt this way about a person.

Opening up the door to the apartment he smelled something cooking. Pulling his headphones out he called out, “Honey I’m hommmeee!” 

Hunk poked his head out of the kitchen. “Hello!”

Lance kicked off his shoes and put them on the rack next to the door. “I’m going to shower real quick. Do you need help with anything?”

“Buddy, we both know you can’t cook for shit. You just worry about getting yourself all prettied up.”

“You know, sometimes you really suck.” Lance laughed, heading for the bathroom. He took a quick shower, rushing in an out to make sure he’d have enough time. Wrapping a towel around his waist he moved into his bedroom, standing in front of his closet. Keith probably didn’t give a shit what Lance wore, but it was another insecurity Lance had to fight. He always thought if he looked good then people would perceive him better.

Settling on some blue skinny jeans and a red flannel shirt he stayed barefoot. Lance hated wearing shoes, had ever since he was a kid. “What time was Pidge going to get here?” Lance asked.

“In a couple of minutes,” Hunk didn’t turn from the stove, “She just texted.”

“Cool.”

This little get together had kind of come together by accident. Pidge was going to come over anyways; they hadn’t seen her in a couple of days. Then Keith and Lance got to talking and Lance had asked Keith if he wanted to come over too. Apparently Keith and Pidge already knew one another pretty well.

Keith said he’d love to come over and when Hunk found out he was coming over he insisted on cooking. “Lance, you already have that guy wrapped around your finger. _But_ if I cook for him then you’ll have him for good.”

Lance had laughed along with his friend, but it didn’t stop the terror from creeping up his throat.

There was a knock on the door and Pidge waltzed in, adjusting her glasses. “Sup fuckers!” She declared.

“Gremlin.” Lance said fondly. He walked up to her, ruffling her hair. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

She hugged him tightly, arms wrapping around his waist. Pidge was even shorter than Lance, sitting at a solid 5’2”. “Good luck at your competition tomorrow.”

“Thanks.”

Hunk came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. “Pidge!” The girl hurtled from Lance’s side to the other mans. “When was the last time you ate?”

“I had a hot pocket yesterday.”

Hunk looked at her in horror. “You disgust me.”

She rolled her eyes and went and collapsed on the couch. “You’re going to feed me now aren’t you?”

“Of course.” Hunk looked over at Lance, “Where’s your man?”

_Your man._ It struck a chord within Lance. “Oh.” His friends were staring at him, “In a bit. He’s walking over.”

The three friends sat around the couch, chatting about simple things. Anyone that didn’t know them would be confused as to why they were friends. But the three of them fit together in the strangest ways. Pidge with her extraordinary confidence and sharp humor, Hunk with his gentle ways and over all pleasant moods. Lance added in a touch of chaos and laughter, dragging his friends on random and last minute adventures.

Lance was interested to see what Keith would add to this dynamic. He already knew Pidge and was dating Lance. Were they dating? They hadn’t talked about it and Lance was too scared to bring it up. Because if Lance asked Keith to be his boyfriend then Keith would probably leave him. That made Lance cringe a bit, if anyone was having commitment issues it was Lance.

Just then his phone buzzed. Sitting up he said, “Keith’s here. Be right back.”

Ignoring Pidge’s whistles Lance ran back down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Rushing to the door he opened it to find Keith stamping out a cigarette. Keith looked up and smiled, it was so brilliant Lance almost had to close his eyes. Keith moved inside the building, picking up Lance and swinging him around in a circle. “Hey babe.” He whispered into Lance’s ear.

Blushing furiously Lance hugged Keith back, trying not to cling too desperately. They hadn’t seen each other in person in a few days and just having Keith back in his arms healed a broken part of Lance’s heart. “Hi,” He said a bit breathlessly, “How are you?”

Setting Lance down Keith smiled a bit, “Better now.”

“God.” Lance cast his eyes up to the ceiling, “You’ll be the death of me MCR.” He grabbed Keith’s hand and pulled him to the elevator. “Pidge just got here.”

“I haven’t seen her in a long time.” Keith said as the doors slid closed. Then the second the doors had closed fully Keith pulled up Lance’s chin and kissed him, almost knocking the wind out of Lance. Keith’s hands cupped Lance’s face in such a tender way. When they separated Keith chuckled a bit, “Might not get too many chances to do that later.”

Laughing a bit weakly Lance poked a finger into Keith’s chest. “Have I mentioned lately that you’re ridiculous?”

“Only three times a day.” Keith smiled, nuzzling his nose into Lance’s hair. “And I missed you.”

Leaning into the touch Lance managed to whisper, “Missed you too.”

Pulling apart as the doors opened Lance led Keith down the hallway to his apartment. Lance wasn’t sure why he was so nervous, Keith had already been here once before. They could both hear Pidge cackling at something inside. “Hey.” Lance said as he opened the door.

“McClain! Kogane!” Pidge said joyfully.

Closing the door behind them Lance gave Pidge a look. “Oh calm down.” Pidge said dryly, “I’m sure you two will find some way to fuck this up on your own.”

Hunk came out of the kitchen and smiled warmly at Keith. “Hey.” He shook hands with Keith, “Hunk. We’ve kind of met before.”

“Keith. Good to meet you in person.”

Moving back into the kitchen Hunk called, “Food’s almost ready. It’ll be out in a second.”

“Should we help him?” Keith asked quietly.

Lance shook his head and grinned, “Trust me, no one goes in the kitchen while Hunk is in there.”

“Damn right!” The man in question yelled.

Keith sat down on the couch, pretending to smother Pidge with a pillow. She smacked it away and feigned annoyance. “Holt.”

“Kogane.” Pidge lightly kicked Keith’s face with her foot, “How’s my brother?”

Quirking a brow Keith asked, “Don’t you see him?”

“Sometimes,” Pidge laughed, “He’s busy with his own shit. He’s been on tour with a band for the last few days.”

“Oh right, Bloodline right?”

She nodded, turning her attention back to her phone. “He’ll be gone for another couple of weeks.”

Looking up at Lance Keith gestured to come join them. Lance followed suit easily, almost sitting on Keith’s lap, but not quite. One of Keith’s arms draped around Lance’s shoulders and held him close. Inhaling Lance caught a whiff of Keith’s scent, a little smoky from the cigarette but there was something a bit husky as well. Lance was going to have to get a bottle of the shampoo Keith used so he could take a hint when he got too lonely.

Pidge was telling a story that Lance was only half paying attention. He had leaned his head back up against Keith’s arm and he was looking up at Keith’s jawline. Lance could spend hours just studying the details of Keith’s face. He had ridiculous bone structure; Keith could kill a man with those cheekbones.

There were two faint marks by his left eyebrow; he must’ve had an eyebrow piercing at one point. His nose just slightly crooked. At one point Keith had mentioned he’d broken his nose when he was a kid. On his right cheek was the scar that ran down to his neck, but Lance hadn’t asked about that yet. He figured Keith would tell him with time.

Without thinking Lance reached up and gently traced from Keith’s jawbone up to his ear, running his hands through Keith’s thick hair. He smirked ever so slightly, sending a tremor down Lance’s spin. Keith looked down at Lance, his expression hard to read. But Keith did lightly kiss at Lance’s fingertips.

“God. Can you two, like not, right now?” Pidge tried to sound annoyed but she just sounded happy.

Keith laughed smooching Lance’s cheek loudly. “Hey!” Lance protested a bit, but let Keith smother his face with kisses. When Keith finally let him go Lance saw movement from the corner of his eye. Hunk was leaning up against the doorway to the kitchen, smiling at Lance. Grinning a little helplessly Lance shrugged. He knew what his friend was thinking. Hunk hadn’t seen Lance this happy or relaxed around a potential love interest in a long, long time.

Looking back up at Keith one thought kept running through Lance’s head. _“God I want you to be different.”_

Hunk spoke up, “Food is ready.”

***

About an hour later Lance and Keith were in the kitchen, finishing up with the dishes. Lance was washing, Keith drying. Lance had insisted that he would do the dishes since Hunk had prepared everything. And of course Keith told Lance he would help.

Pidge and Hunk were watching something on the TV in the living room, faint music trailed in after them. Lance handed Keith the last plate, dried his own hands and then leaned back up against the counter. “So, what did you think?”

Smiling gently Keith put the dish back in the cabinet in front of him. “I like Hunk. He seems like a good guy.”

“He is.” He tugged a little bit at Keith’s long sleeve black shirt. “We didn’t scare you off?”

“Nope. Quite the opposite.”

They looked at each other for a long moment, Lance crossing his arms over his chest. “Wanna… go to my room for a bit?”

Smirking slowly Keith just nodded. Lance led the way, pausing briefly in the living room. “Um. Keith and I will be in my room.”

Pidge dryly said, “Be safe.”

Lance just bit his lip, looked desperately at Hunk and then headed for his bedroom. Keith was right behind him. The taller man shut the door and then grabbed Lance and spun him around, pining him against the door. Breathless already Lance looked up at Keith, gulping a bit. “Keith…”

He didn’t waste another second, quickly capturing Lance’s lips with his own. Lance’s eyes fluttered shut and he sighed into the kiss. After an hour of nudging feet, hot glances and sexual tension it felt so _fucking_ good.

Lance let his fingers dance along Keith’s hips and the taller man responded by pushing in even closer. Mouths opened and the kiss deepened as Keith’s tongue danced in Lance’s mouth. “Hmmm…” Keith pulled away before Lance was ready and his eyes blinked open in surprise. “What?”

Keith was looking at him, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Come here.” He picked Lance up and dropped him onto Lance’s bed, crowding up over him. “Is this ok?”

Swallowing thickly Lance just managed a nod. He didn’t trust his voice right now. Instead he pulled Keith down by the shirt collar finally reconnecting their mouths.

It was like Lance lost the ability to think rationally. The only things on his mind right now involved getting Keith closer, running his hands up Keith’s shirt, and biting at his bottom lip. Keith made a sound that Lance _definitely_ wanted to hear again.

Moving his mouth away from Lance’s Keith slowly kissed a trail from his ear to his neck. Lance fought to control his breathing. They were just kissing but Lance felt so open and exposed. Keith bit down a bit harder on the hallow of Lance’s throat and he gasped a bit, clapping a hand over his mouth.

Pulling back a bit Keith looked carefully at Lance. He ever so gently pulled Lance’s hand away from his mouth. “You don’t have to hide anything from me.” He whispered. Biting his lip Lance had to look to the side. He wasn’t used to this… being the subject of someone else’s devotion. “Lance. Look at me.”

Biting down even harder on his lip Lance finally met those dark, brooding eyes. “What?”

Keith lifted Lance’s chin and kissed him, so tenderly. “Its ok. You’re ok.”

Before he could stop it his eyes filled with tears. Now he flushed with embarrassment instead of with want. “I- I um…” He just gripped Keith’s shirt tighter in his hands. Why was he acting like this? He should be happy. “I’m sorry.” He looked back up and Keith was still looking at him with the same expression, maybe softer even.

Moving quickly Keith sat up, hauling Lance into his lap. “I told you that you needed to stop apologizing to me.”

Rubbing at his eyes with the back of his wrist Lance said, “But I’m acting like an idiot.”

“No.” Keith brought Lance’s wrist down to his mouth, “No, you aren’t.”

Inhaling sharply Lance just pressed his forehead to Keith’s. “I think… I think I’m just scared.”

“That’s ok.” Keith’s hands ran up and down Lance’s back in a comforting gesture, “I didn’t mean to pressure you.”

“Why are you so good to me?” Lance wondered, voice shaking.

“Because I like you Lance… a lot.” Keith’s nose pressed into Lance’s, “And we’ll go at whatever pace you want to, ok?”

Lance nodded a bit, “Yeah, yeah ok.” He finally found the courage to look at Keith in the eyes and found those deep blue were smiling, so happy. “I like you too MCR.”

“Good to know.” Keith carefully kissed Lance again, holding his face in his hands.

He didn’t deserve this. This, whatever Keith was offering him… Lance couldn’t understand it. No one had ever taken his feelings into consideration like this. They would just use Lance for what they wanted and leave. Lance had gotten his heart broken one too many times, opening up to new people wasn’t easy. But Keith had a way of slipping in, of breaking down all his defenses. Lance wanted to keep his heart guarded, the last thing he wanted was to get hurt. Instead of thinking about all the ways this could end badly Lance just opened back up into the kiss. He was so fucking scared, but he felt like he could trust Keith. And it all felt so _good_ so why keep denying it?

Keith was smiling into the kiss, hands slowly slipping underneath Lance’s shirt. Lance shivered a bit as Keith’s fingertips ghosted over his skin. “Feels nice…” Lance mumbled.

“Hm.” Keith pulled back and stroked a thumb over Lance’s cheek. “You’re beautiful.”

Smiling in spite of himself Lance kissed the space between Keith’s eyebrows. “Pretty sure we’ve talked about this before. You’re the hot one.”

“Oh really?” Keith raised a brow, “Shall we discuss it further?”

“Keith…” Lance chuckled a bit when Keith pressed his nose up underneath Lance’s ear.

“Allow me to enlighten you.” Keith whispered, “First off, you are a dancer. So your body is fucking spectacular. The way your eyes crinkle when you _really_ smile. And the way you look at me…”

Lance pulled back, studying Keith carefully. “Well.” Blinking a bit Lance ran a thumb up and down the scar of Keith’s face. “I mean look at _you._ ” Lance let his eyes drift all over Keith’s face, his shoulders, everywhere. “You’re like a Greek god. Your jawline, all those tattoos.” Grinning a bit he finished saying, “And your stupid Disney princess hair.”

Keith laughed out loud, “Disney princess?” He changed their positions again, pulling them both down onto the bed. Keith drew Lance to his side, slotting himself into place.

Brushing the hair off Keith’s face Lance nodded. “Come on, Elsa herself would be jealous.”

Keith snorted and said, “Maybe Page Ten should cover _Let It Go_.”

“You could get the outfit and everything.”

Silence fell over the pair. Lance ran a hand down Keith’s stomach to his hip and back again, repeating the emotion over and over. Eventually Keith pulled Lance’s head to his chest. “How did practice go?” Keith finally asked, breaking the silence.

Lance nuzzled closer to Keith’s side, “Pretty good. Lura and I are ready. It’ll be nice to get it over with. Then I won’t have anything to worry about for a while.”

“Hm. Will has been working overtime on editing the video, he said he should have a first draft ready in a few days.”

Pushing back Lance gently touched Keith’s chin, “Are you excited?”

“I am.” He looked down at Lance again and smiled, “I can’t wait to see it.”

***

The next day Lance was stretching out, ignoring some of the stares from other competitors. Allura was somewhere else; she had her own warm up routine and if anyone messed with it she freaked out.

Lance’s pre routine tradition was pretty simple. He blasted the song he was about to dance to and just took his time with stretching out and warming up. Usually he drank a protein smoothie during warm up; sometimes he had issues with his blood sugar when he danced.

His phone vibrated and he checked it, expecting to see a message from Allura. But it was a text from Keith.

_Be there in about 10. I’ll see you after. Good luck_ 12:45 A.M.

Grinning Lance replied quickly:

_I’ll see you soon_ 12:46 A.M.

As expected the competition was running a bit behind, but only by thirty minutes instead of hours. Cracking his neck Lance got up and hoped up and down a few times. There was a barre in the corner and there was finally some open space so Lance made his way over.

He recognized a few of the people in the room, mostly from other colleges in California. Lance and Allura had only ever competed at competitions in Berkeley. But word got around. Lance wasn’t the most popular in this crowd.

It was easy to tune out after so many years. Lance knew the California dance world like the back of his hand. He had traveled all over the world to compete, and he always brought his best.

Switching his playlist up he put on some Two Steps From Hell. They were an instrumental band, but their music was epic and it always made Lance feel like he could conquer the world. After he finished up at the barre he decided he should probably get into his costume. It wasn’t anything special; Lance had worn it a few times already. Simple white pants and a billowy white shirt with a shock of red around the collar and edge of the sleeves.

Allura was wearing a white dress, the only red in her outfit coming in from the bright red flowers she had carefully braided into her up do. Lance changed quickly, rolling out his ankles one more time then waited for Allura to find him. She was usually always gone right up until the last second. Lance could only guess what she was doing.

Making his way for the stage he kept his headphones in. He knew the stagehands working behind the scenes today; they would hold his shit for him. For some reason Lance felt like keeping the rest of the world blocked out for as long as possible.

Just as he reached backstage he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Whirling around in surprise he relaxed when he saw Lotor. Pulling out his headphones he said simply, “Hey.”

“Hello.”

“If you’re looking for Lura she won’t be here till the last second.” Lance rolled out his wrists a bit, “But then again you’ve danced with her before so you know that. You want something.”

Lotor chuckled a bit, “I suppose I do.”

“You know you are like, engaged to Lura now right? Kind of pales in comparison to the puppy dog crush I had on her when we were freshman.”

“Well,” Lotor ran a hand over the back of his neck, “To be truly honest I hadn’t thought you ever posed a problem.”

Lance laughed, “Good to know. Really helps the self esteem.”

“That came out wrong.” Lotor’s brow furrowed, “I just wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For taking care of her. For being her friend and being there for her when I couldn’t.”

Lance had been mid stretch, right arm behind his head. Dropping his arms to his side he simply replied, “Oh.”

The other man looked horribly uncomfortable. Figures, he was actually talking about his feelings for once, “She loves you, you know.”

That made Lance smile. “I love her too. She’s like my sister.”

“And I didn’t want you to think that I was… trying to take that relationship away from either of you. I love her… all I want is that she remain happy.” Lotor looked Lance right in the eyes, “You take up an incredible amount of space in her heart, and I just want to know that you’ll be there for her. Always.”

Lance was taken aback. He and Lotor weren’t really friends, but they tolerated each other. But he was right. Both Lotor and Lance held different pieces of Allura’s heart. You can’t have her without either one of them. So Lance just nodded, “You can count on that.”

Finally Lotor smiled, seeming satisfied. “Thank you.”

Waving a hand Lance went back to stretching out his arms, “Whatever lover boy. Better go hide before Allura finds out her menfolk were bonding without her.”

Again Lotor grinned, a bit hesitant but more open than before. Then he quickly walked away. Just in time too, as Allura appeared from around the opposite corner moments later. “Hey. You ready?”

Lance nodded firmly. He got in close to Allura and said low in her ear, “But this is going to be a piece of cake and you know it.”

She slapped Lance away, “I know, I know. But we can’t let _them_ know that we know.”

Quirking a brow Lance ran a hand through his hair. “I have no idea what Lotor sees in you.”

Allura responded by punching him, hard, on the arm. “Jesus Lura!” But was laughing. Taking a deep breath he felt ready to take the stage. He just wasn’t sure if he was ready for Keith to see him.

Last night had been… a lot. But in a good way. A really, really good way. Keith had stayed pretty late, and they had just sat and talked. Kissed a lot too. It was the first time in a long time that Lance had felt _seen._ Keith hadn’t been annoyed, or grossed out. He was fine with taking things slow.

It wasn’t the way Lance’s relationships usually went, but it was nice. Feelings were developing and they had inside jokes and it was all so _nice._

Allura snapped her fingers in front of his face, “Where did you go?”

“Oh.” Lance rubbed a hand over his face. “Just thinking.”

“About Keith?”

“Mhm.” He looked over at her, “I just really like him.”

“He’s coming today right?” Allura tightened her hair a bit.

“Yeah. He should be out in the audience somewhere.” Allura waggled her brows at him. Scoffing a bit Lance shoved at her and she shoved him right back, pushing harder. They were like a couple of idiot kids, but Lance was at ease. It was the mindset he needed to be in right now.

A stagehand nodded at them, “You two ready? You’re up next.”

They both nodded. Lance hopped up and down a few times then tightened the laces on his pointe shoes. Allura did much the same. Then they heard, “And now, from UC Berkeley, the dancing pair Allura and Lance.”

Nodding at one another they held hands and made their way onto the stage. Once they reached the center of the stage Allura put her hands on Lance’s shoulders and Lance got down on one knee, right arm across his chest. “Kill ‘em babe.” Lance whispered just before the music started.

Allura smirked and when the music started her right leg lifted slowly behind her until the beat of the song kicked in. The spun in synchronized pirouettes and moved to separate ends of the floor. Their professor had warned them against what they were about to do, but Lance and Allura both liked a challenge.

Jumping gracefully across the floor they crossed at the center, doing twin front flips. This routine had it all, lifts, turns, jumps and flips. It had a good mix of ballet and other modes of dance. The song was slow and sexy and they both milked it for all they were worth. They hardly had to try. They had such a natural chemistry when they danced. To some people watching this dance would seem like an intrusion, like they were witnessing something private. Allura and Lance had wanted it that way.

It was obvious from the energy of the crowd that they were eating it up as well. People were eating out of the palms of Lance and Allura’s hands. By the time they hit the last lift Lance felt like his skin was on fire. He did love to perform. As he dipped Allura into the last pose the audience was practically begging for more.

Lance and Allura straightened and clasped hands, bowing carefully. Then they tripped lightly off the stage. As soon as they were behind the curtain Lance laughed, swooping Allura into his arms and swinging her around. “That was fucking perfect.”

“I would have to agree.” Allura was laughing as well. She patted the top of his head, “Now put me down.”

He did as she wished. “Good job.” He kissed her forehead lightly. “Now go find Lotor. I’ll see you at awards.”

“Alright, alright.” She kissed Lance’s cheek, “I’ll see you soon. You were lovely.”

A stagehand handed Lance his headphones and his phone and he took them gratefully. “Nice job.” The stagehand said with a wink. Had Lance not been so desperate to find Keith he might’ve returned the wink, added a bit more flirting. But his eyes were already on his phone. A text from Keith was already waiting.

_And that’s why I call you Hot Dancer_ 1:30 P.M.

_Let me change. I’ll meet you by the south doors_ 1:32 P.M.

Hurrying back to his warm up room Lance tried not to smile too brightly. God he hoped Keith liked what he saw. He had given it his all today. Not just for Allura, but for Keith too. Lance slipped out of the large white shirt and pulled his cut off back on, digging around for the black joggers he was wearing earlier. Slipping on some Nike slides he stumbled out of the room, desperate to have Keith back in his arms.

Heading down a staircase he looked around, finally laying eyes on Keith. He was standing by some windows, the light from outside casting shadows around his form. Smiling Lance jumped down the rest of the stairs and made his way through the crowd toward his brooding emo. “Keith!”

The man in question looked up, smiling a bit. “He-oof.” Lance launched himself into Keith’s arms, cutting off whatever Keith had almost said. Keith held Lance’s chin, “You were breathtaking.”

Lance smiled at the praise. “Thank you.” He gladly accepted the kiss Keith gave him, “What did you think?”

“It was beautiful Lance.” Keith’s tone was genuine but there was something in his eyes that Lance couldn’t quite place. “The crowd couldn’t take their eyes off you.”

“That was the general idea.” Lance hugged Keith tightly, laying his head against Keith’s chest. “You don’t have to stay for awards. It could be hours from now.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah I’m sure. Means the world that you came at all.”

Keith ran a hand through Lance’s hair. “Of course. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”

They talked for about an hour before Keith said he had to go. He placed a lingering kiss on Lance’s lips before he left. Lance watched him go, and something twisted in his gut. He wasn’t sure what it was but… there was something wrong.

**Keith**

_Lura and I got first. Piece of cake really_ 5:24 P.M.

_Congratulations. You both deserve it_ 5:26 P.M.

_What time is Page Ten’s gig again?_ 5:27 P.M.

_8 on Saturday_ 5:28 P.M.

_Cool. I’ll be there_ 5:29 P.M.

Keith flung his phone to the side, rubbing the space between his eyebrows. The jealously that Keith felt a few days ago was just getting worse. Biting his lip he got up and went to his desktop. He recognized the song Allura and Lance had danced to; it was called _A Little More_ by MILK. Lance had danced to another song of theirs.

It was eating away at Keith, watching how Allura and Lance interacted with one another. She was completely enchanting and beautiful; it was no wonder Lance had had a thing for her. Keith couldn’t help but think Lance would feel all that again. An idea swirled around in his head.

He found his phone and called Shiro. As soon as his cousin picked up he said, “How fast do you think you and Adam can learn a song?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF. A POV change at the end of the chapter? SPICY. I wonder what Keith is up to.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith, honey.

**Keith**

“Wait, wait,” Shrio sounded a bit irritated, “You want us to learn a song by the gig on Saturday? The gig that is in three days?”

“Yes.” Keith was already looking for sound files to download.

Sighing Shrio turned his face away from the phone and said, “Babe. Keith wants us to learn a song.” Keith could hear some mumbling on Shiro’s end of the call, “Adam says he thinks you’re insane.”

“God I know.” Keith groaned and rubbed at his face, “But trust me on this?”

Shrio sighed again but asked, “What song is it?”

Biting his lip Keith replied, “ _A Little More._ It’s by a band called MILK.”

“Any particular reason as to why you want us to learn that song?” Adam’s voice drifted over the line.

“If I told you you’d tell me I’m stupid.”

Adam scoffed. “We’ve already reached that part Kogane.”

“Just… learn the song. Please? We can practice it a few times before the gig on Saturday.”

“God fine!” It was Shiro’s voice this time, “I’ll take bass, obviously.”

“I got drums!” Adam yelled merrily.

“I’m going to start mixing backing tracks now. I’m going to do a bit of keyboard and guitar.”

“Whatever you say cousin.” Shiro hung up the phone.

Sighing heavily Keith dropped his head into his hands. He didn’t have an explanation as to why he was doing this. Was he being petty? Most likely. Was it all driven by jealously? Yes. Watching Allura and Lance dance together like that… it had hurt. For some reason. Keith couldn’t put a finger on why.

But they had been so fucking _intimate._ Lance had never looked at Keith like that. And they way she looked at Lance… it had been too much. It was like watching two people that were meant to be together.

His phone vibrated, it was Lance. A regular phone call instead of a Facetime. Gritting his teeth Keith picked up the phone. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Lance’s voice sounded a bit guarded. “You ok?”

“Yeah I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“You just seemed… a bit off earlier.” Lance paused, “Did I do something?”

Keith instantly realized he had fucked up. “No. No, not at all.” Keith hated that he had made Lance feel insecure. “Just a long day that’s all.”

“I’m sorry if coming today pushed your schedule…”

“Lance,” Keith knew his voice was softening, “I wanted to see you today and I don’t regret going.”

“Ok.” Lance’s voice was getting happier, “I uh, just wanted to call. I kinda just wanted to hear your voice.”

Keith had to close his eyes for a second. Lance was too good. “You’re killing me over here.”

Lance laughed a bit, “So I’ll uh, I’ll let you go now.”

“Hey Lance?”

“Yes Keith?”

There were so many things Keith wanted to ask. Why he and Allura were so close. If they had ever hooked up. Why he and Allura were so obviously ignoring their feelings for one another. But they got stuck in his throat. A part of him didn’t want to know. Because if he did know then Lance would leave. And that was the last fucking thing Keith wanted.

“Keith?”

Lance’s voice startled Keith from his thoughts, “Sorry. Um. I’ll see you Saturday?”

“Yeah. See you then MCR.”

“Bye.”

Keith ended the call and his hand fell limply at his side. _“Shit. Shit, shit, shit.”_

Ignoring all the feelings bubbling up his throat Keith woke up his desktop and went about setting up some backing tracks.

***

On Friday Keith headed over to Altea with some cords and other equipment. He hadn’t slept much the past few days. He was fueled by caffeine and spite at this point. Lance had kept up his end of the relationship, calling, and texting, Snapchatting. And Keith had done his best to act as nonchalant as possible.

But Keith sucked at this shit. When it came to the physical side of expressing his feelings it was easy. When Lance was in front of him it made sense. He could touch, kiss, feel, and do whatever he wanted. But it wasn’t that easy when it came to words.

That’s why music was the perfect outlet for him. All those stupid emotions up in his head made a lot more sense when they were in front of him on a musical staff, or in his mixing program.

Opening the door to Altea Keith relaxed the slightest when he saw Rolo behind the counter. “Ro.”

The blond man glanced up and smiled, it was full and beautiful. “Wow, haven’t heard that nickname in a long time.” Rolo looked at Keith for a second longer before he said, “What’s wrong?”

“Am I that easy to ready?”

“We’ve been over this before babe.” Rolo grinned, “You’re an open book. Always have been.”

Keith gestured to all the equipment he was juggling, “I’m going to the back room.”

He heard Rolo having a short conversation with his coworker. Rolo would probably be right behind him. Keith set down a bunch of stuff and put his hands on a table. Christ he was so fucking _thick._ But the thought of loosing Lance… it scared him more than he thought it would. Hell, it had only been a couple of weeks. But Keith already felt bound to Lance.

“Keith.” Rolo’s voice sounded over his shoulder, he closed the door to the back room, “What’s going on?”

“I’m just being stupid.”

“As usual.” There was a fond bite to Rolo’s voice. He came around to where Keith could see him, “Did something happen with Lance?”

Inhaling sharply Keith looked up and stared at the wall, “No. Not yet anyways.”

“Well that sounds rather ominous.”

Keith looked at Rolo, feeling a bit desperate, “He’s just really close with this girl. Like, frighteningly close. And I feel like they are just dancing around their feelings for one another.”

Rolo crossed his arms over his chest, “And you think as soon as they realize those feelings you’ll be left behind.” Gritting his teeth Keith just managed a nod. Rolo’s expression changed drastically. “Wow. You’ve got it bad.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Well, whatever you do don’t go Keith it up.”

“Keith it up?”

Rolo chuckled a bit, “You know how you can get. Just use your words.” Keith gave Rolo a look and the blond man just laughed harder. “I know. It’s very challenging for you.”

Swallowing a bit of his pride Keith asked, “Can you help me?”

There was a glint in the back of Rolo’s eyes; it was hard to place the emotion. “You’re coming to _me_ for dating advice?”

Rolling his eyes mightily Keith said, “Yes. Ro. I am.”

Rolo’s eyebrows furrowed, “Well. I suppose.” He examined some of his fingernails, “But I only have a ten minute break. So…”

“Just come over later or something.” Keith organized the stuff he had brought over, “I’ll be home all night. I have some backing tracks to finish.”

“Ooooo.” Rolo lifted Keith’s chin with a single finger, “Playing a new song? It is _Natural_?”

“We are playing _Natural_ but we’re covering a song too.”

“Wow. You haven’t covered in a long time.”

Keith sighed again, ruffling some of his hair, “I have my reasons.”

“Is it a song Lance knows?”

“Maybe.”

Rolo threw his hands over his head, “Jesus Keith! What happened to using your words?”

“You know I’m not good at this shit!”

“So you’re covering a song that Lance knows, and hope that he will be there?” Rolo ran a hand through his long hair, “Not the best plan if you ask me.”

“I know he’s coming.” He shrugged, “What? We’ve talked about it!”

Rolo looked at Keith in a way that made Keith laugh a bit. “Why are you laughing at me?”

“You’re just looking at me like I’m a puzzle you won’t ever solve.”

Rolo patted Keith on the shoulder as he left the room, “I already knew that.” His green eyes went sad, “Be more open for him.”

As Rolo left the room Keith felt like he had fucked up something, again.

***

“Yeah, I have a study group thing.” Keith said into his phone.

“Ah. Then you have Page Ten stuff too right?” Lance sounded a bit tired.

God what Keith wouldn’t do to kiss the sleepiness from under Lance’s eyes. “Yeah. I have some last minute stuff to do before the gig tomorrow night.”

“Ok. You’re sure…”

“Sure of what, Lance?”

“Nothing. Nothing. I just wanted to see you is all.” Lance sighed, “But I have some shit I have to do too.”

Keith felt his heart clench, “Hey. Its ok. I know.” He ran a hand over his face, “But I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?”

  
“Yeah. Ok, I gotta finish this fucking paper. See you MCR.”

“Right. Bye Lance.” Keith shoved his phone back in his pocket and headed for the library. Why he was being forced to go to this study group he had no idea. It was a music business class, not fucking rocket science. But the professor was taking roll and if they didn’t show up they lost points towards their final grade.

Pushing inside the library he wearily made his way up to the second floor. The rest of his class was probably already there, study group was supposed to start in five minutes. But a shock of brown hair caught Keith’s eye once he reached the second floor.

Lance was sitting alone at a table, running a hand through his hair. His back was to Keith so Keith had the element of surprise working for him. Lance flipped through a book sitting next to his laptop, looking for something. There was a hint of weariness pulling at all of Lance’s features.

Keith wasn’t so daft; he knew some of it was because of him. All week Keith had been dodging seeing Lance in person. Honestly he was afraid of what he might do. But looking at Lance now Keith felt his heart clench. How he had missed Lance.

Moving quickly Keith came up behind Lance, wrapping his arms around Lance’s neck. Lance started a bit, looked behind him and saw Keith, a brilliant smile lighting up his face. “Hey MCR.” He pulled his headphones out of his ears and nuzzled into Keith’s touch. “I thought we just talked about not seeing each other.”

Laughing a bit Keith just kissed Lance’s neck. He felt a bit delirious as he breathed in Lance’s smell. “Well too bad for you, I just can’t seem to stay away.”

Lance ran a hand up and down one of Keith’s arms, “How are you? Really?”

Nudging his nose into Lance’s hair Keith answered honestly, “Better now.”

“That’s good.” Lance’s voice didn’t quite have its usual fervor.

Keith pulled out the chair next to Lance and sat down, grabbing one of Lance’s hands and ran his thumb over Lance’s knuckles. “Hey. You ok?”

Lance rested his cheek in his hand and looked at Keith carefully, “Just tired.” They looked at one another, neither one wanting to admit they were hiding their true feelings. “Don’t you have a study group to get to?”

“I could just skip it… stay here with you.” Keith searched in Lance’s blue eyes but found nothing.

“You probably shouldn’t. You said it was part of your final grade.” Lance’s eyes seemed to dim, “But I’ll see you tomorrow night?”

Keith felt his brow furrow a bit, “Yeah. Ok.” He leaned over and kissed Lance’s forehead ever so gently. “And you’d tell me, right? If something was bothering you?”

“You know I would.” Lance forced a smile. “Go on now, you’ll be late.”

Standing up Keith ran a hand through Lance’s hair, and then went to find his class. And every step he took he felt the gap between them growing larger.

***

“Let’s run it one more time.” Keith put his hair back into a bun for probably the eighth time that night. He was nervous as hell. Ever since leaving Lance yesterday he had been on edge. Keith had tried texting the dancer last night but Lance had said he was going to sleep.

Adam tapped a cymbal a few times, watching Keith carefully. “Ok, ok. And we don’t _have_ to play this tonight you know.”

Keith stayed silent. Adam was right. The only reason Shiro and Adam were playing this song at all is because Keith had forced them too. Shiro put a comforting hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Something is going on cousin. What’s going on?”

Sighing Keith met eyes with Shiro. They had been extremely close their entire lives. More like brothers than cousins. Shiro had seen Keith at his worst, and vice versa. And Shiro had been there when Keith’s dad died and his mom disappeared into herself. But it seemed stupid to tell Shiro about his boy troubles. So he just shrugged. “We’re playing _Natural_ tonight too. I’m just nervous.”

Shiro knew there was more Keith wasn’t saying but the older man didn’t push him. “It’s going to be great. People have been begging for _Natural_ for years. And Will has a first cut of the video that we can watch tomorrow.” Shiro played a few chords, drifting over to the drum kit. Adam didn’t even have to look up; he just stroked a hand up Shiro’s arm.

Keith watched, feeling rather melancholy. Shiro had finally decided when he was going to propose. Once the video for _Natural_ was officially released. Adam had talked the other two into having a video release party. And Shiro wanted to do it then. Those two completed one another in such a beautiful way. Their personalities were so different, Shiro was stoic and quiet, Adam was bubbly and extroverted.

After the accident Adam had helped nurse Shiro and Keith back to health. He never wavered, was endlessly patient and loving. So it made sense that they should spend the rest of their lives together.

“Let’s play it one more time.” Shiro said, smiling a bit. “We’ll be ready.”

Keith just turned to the mic and started up the backing tracks. The last run through felt a lot better. They were prepared to play the song, but mentally Keith was flattering. The gig tonight was just Page Ten. They were going to play around 45 minutes of music and then party afterwards. Well, Keith doubted he’d be joining in for the festivities afterwards. Hell he was lucky that Lance was still even coming tonight.

Swallowing thickly Keith set his guitar in its stand and mumbled an excuse and headed for the bathroom. Luckily it was a single stall so he could be alone for a bit. Heaving a bit Keith tried to keep down what little food he had eaten today.

He was so utterly terrified. Lance was slipping away and Keith didn’t know how to stop it. This had never happened to him before, he had never been so scared to lose someone. Lance was already so engrained into his life that the thought of the empty hole he’d leave behind hurt Keith in ways he didn’t think were possible.

Turning on the cold water Keith splashed some on his face and tried to get a grip. “Come on Kogane. You figure this shit out.” He spoke to his reflection, “Don’t lose him.”

Leaving the bathroom Keith saw that people were already beginning to arrive. He saw some regular fans and smiled carefully at them. Those girls that Lance had talked about last time were here already. The brunette smiled at Keith, waggling her fingers at him. Smiling tightly he went back towards the stage to do one last final check.

Rolo was talking with Shiro and Adam. His green eyes lit up when he saw Keith. “Babe.”

“Hey.” Keith hugged Rolo; “I didn’t think you could make it tonight.”

“Got a coworker to cover my shift tonight. So now I can watch you _and_ make fun of them.” Rolo winked, wrapping an arm around Keith’s waist.

He leaned in close to Rolo’s ear, “Help me keep my shit together tonight.”

Those green eyes looked up into his deep blue, “You ok it hot stuff.”

Adam went to sit at his drum kit, signaling that the rest of the band should run through their warm ups as well. When Keith turned around he saw Lance standing just inside the doorway of Altea. His eyes were on Keith and Rolo, and the arm that Rolo still had wrapped around Keith’s waist. “Shit.” Keith mumbled. He offered Lance a tentative smile and Lance returned it, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “So much for that plan.” Keith said over Rolo’s head.

Rolo turned and saw what Keith had been talking about. “Fuck.” His arm instantly dropped, “I can go talk to him… if you want me to.”

Keith shook his head, feeling his throat tighten. “No. It might make things worse.” When he looked up again Lance was standing in the corner of the room on his phone. “I’ll talk to him afterwards.”

“Ok.” Rolo nodded, squeezed Keith’s hand and then moved over to the counter to annoy his coworker.

Shoving his earpiece in Keith nodded to the sound guy, and then played a few chords. “Bring it up a bit!” He shouted, and then played the chords again. Giving a thumbs up Keith let Shiro and Adam run through their sound checks. His eyes kept seeking out Lance, but the other man kept avoiding his gaze. Things had been going so well, how did it all go downhill so fucking fast?

Altea was pretty packed now and Keith was glad for the crowd. Rolo had drifted over to the merch table and was helping Mari handle everything. She liked to help out as much as she could.

Keith turned to Shiro and Adam, “You guys ready to go?”

Adam smirked, twirling his sticks through his fingers. “Yeah. Lets do this.”

Moving up to the mic Keith tapped it a few times to get everyone’s attention. The lights dimmed and the crowds murmuring almost ceased entirely. “Hey everyone.” People throughout the crowd whooped and hollered. “Thanks for coming out tonight,” Keith strummed a bit on his guitar, “We have a couple of new songs for you tonight. So I guess I’ll shut up and we can get to it.”

Adam counted them in and they ripped into one of their older songs called _Resilience_. It was a crowd favorite and usual got people going. And get people going it did. Long time fans were already singing along, including Rolo over at the merch table. He leaned over and yelled something in Mari’s ear and she rolled her eyes but smiled, mouthing along with the lyrics.

That brunette girl had made her way toward the front of the crowd and was desperately trying to catch his eye. Keith didn’t give her the satisfaction. He only had eyes for one man tonight. Singing his heart out he tried to reach across that gap. But Lance wasn’t giving an inch. Lance seemed to be looking everywhere but at Keith. _“Come on Lance. Please.”_

It wasn’t until their third song in that Lance finally looked at Keith. His blue eyes hid a storm of emotions but Keith almost cried with relief. He had finally caught Lance’s attention. Keith couldn’t remember the last time he had played with such intense passion. But where words failed him music became his words.

While coming up with the set list Keith had purposely chose songs about heartache, passion, sex, love. The whole lot. Tonight wasn’t able holding punches. Either Keith would be able to mend things or he would make it worse. But he supposed that was his style, crashing headlong into situations and thinking about the consequences later.

Six songs in and Keith already felt his voice starting to strain. Stopping for a bit he gulped down some water and let Adam and Shiro heckle with the crowd a bit. Next on the set list was _Natural._ And while Keith was nervous because of Lance, different nerves were beginning to eat away at him. He had poured his heart and soul into this song and it would hurt if people ended up hating it.

Moving up to the mic he grinned as the crowd shouted and hollered. “Ok, ok. Calm down guys. But I do love your energy.” He could see Lance watching him out of the corner of his eye, “Next we got a song that we’ve been working on for years.”

“Hell yeah!” Rolo shouted. He had moved up, standing closer to the counter.

As always Keith was grateful for his support. “It’s a little song called _Natural._ And we are finally going to release it.”

He looked fully at Lance now, delving into his eyes, “And that’s not all. When we release our EP in a month you’ll get a video for _Natural_ too. We were lucky enough to work with a kick ass dancer, so keep an eye out for it.”

Lance’s mouth quirked up in a ghost of a smile. But his expression quickly returned to a more neutral one.   
  


Gritting his teeth Keith just started the backing track and let the delicate piano chords fill the space. Closing his eyes he let his fingers trip over the tricky notes on his guitar, just feeling the music. Honestly he was too scared to watch the reactions of the crowd. By the time he reached the first chorus he felt like he might cry.

_And along we were spinning ‘round_

_Your eyes piercing mine_

_Dead and lightless_

_All but fucking Natural_

When he did finally open his eyes again he saw his fans going wild. People that had been around since the beginning were singing along, and a couple of people were crying. Keith had moved people to tears. By the time they reached the instrumental part of the song Keith felt like he might cry too. So many emotions were swirling through his head he wasn’t sure which one to focus on.

Glancing over at Shiro he saw that his cousin was having the same reaction Keith was. Shrio smiled brilliantly and went back towards the drums and just felt the music with his boyfriend. Swallowing a bit thickly Keith went back up to the mic, basically shouting instead of singing.

_Dead and gone_

_All but fucking Natural_

By the time the song came to its conclusion Keith was crying a bit, but smiling so broadly his cheeks hurt. All three men on stage were breathing hard and had to take a second before they moved along with their set. Adam was the first to speak, laughing into his mic, “Glad you all liked that.”

Keith was still breathless, running a hand through his hair. It had been in a bun earlier but now loose strands hung around his face and clung to his neck. Wiping under his eyes he ignored some of the “aw’s” and “oh’s” from the crowd. “Thanks guys.” His voice was scraping up his throat now, “Means the world to me.” He found Lance’s eyes again and saw that a bit of fondness had crept into his blue eyes, “Keep an eye out for that music video.”

They took a quick break, and the guys of Page Ten went and hid in the back room for a bit. Keith wiped his face and neck and chugged a bottle of water. Adam collapsed on the couch, “That was fucking _sick_.”

Shiro sat down on the floor next to the couch, staring at Adam intently. Then he glanced up at Keith and his brow furrowed. Keith’s mouth dropped opened a bit. He knew Shiro well enough; he knew exactly what he was thinking. He shook his head a bit but Shiro was already turning to fully face Adam. Shiro brushed some brown hair from Adam’s face and the look on his face was so fucking fond that Keith almost had to look away. “Hi.” Adam mumbled, leaning into the touch.

“Hi.” Shiro bit his lip and then simply asked, “Wanna marry me?”

Adam blinked, and then the question set in fully. He sprang into a sitting position and looked at Shiro with wide eyes. “What did you just say?”

“I asked if you want to marry me.”

“You have got to be shitting me Takashi.”

Shiro laughed a bit, a combination of happiness and nerves. “I’m not.” He got up and went to his backpack in the corner and pulled a small box out of a side pocket. Returning to Adam’s side he sat on the couch and opened the box carefully, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Adam sniffled, “You’ve been carrying that around with you?”

Keith’s cousin just shrugged. “I love you, Adam.”

“I love you too you absolute _fuck._ ” Adam tackled Shiro into a hug on the couch, laughing wetly. “And yeah… I’ll marry you.”

Keith smiled and quietly left the room to give the two of them some privacy. The crowd saw him come out of the backroom and cheered, Keith waved and weaved his way over to Rolo. There was music thumping through the speakers so he had to lean in close to Rolo’s ear to make sure he was heard. “Shiro just popped the question.”

“Seriously?” Rolo’s brows shot up, “I thought he had a fucking plan!”

“I did too.” Keith was grinning ear to ear, “Adam said yes.”

“Good for them.” Rolo looked smug. He had been waiting for those two to get engaged for years. Adam and Rolo had remained really close friends over the years and there was no doubt in Keith’s mind that Rolo would be Adam’s best man.

The crowd cheered again and Keith glanced back to see that the two men in question had emerged from the room. “I gotta get back to stage.” He left Rolo’s side, feeling Lance’s eyes on him. Keith supposed what was about to happen next would be the make or break for their relationship. Adam sat down at his drum kit, black ring glinting on his ring finger. “Thanks for waiting.” Keith said, swinging his guitar onto his back and moving up to his keyboard. “We have a couple more songs for y’all tonight.” He looked at Shiro and his cousin nodded. “And I think my cousin and his boyfriend here deserve a round of applause. They just got engaged.”

Keith could almost hear the collective inhale from the crowd. Rolo broke the relative silence by yelling, “About fucking time!” The rest of the crowd laughed and soon thunderous applause filled the space.

“Ready?” The other two men nodded and they launched into their next song. They played about four more, finally coming to the point in the night that Keith had been dreading and looking forward to. “So, this isn’t one of our own songs, but we thought a cover could be fun.” Keith swallowed and looked at the backing tracks on his laptop. He could do this. Of course he could. He was Keith Kogane. He had done worse shit than this.

Without another thought he clicked on the backing track and let the first waves of the song fill the space. Lance had moved up to the bar, leaning his elbows on it. His head snapped up almost the instant the song started. His expression went from intrigued to hurt almost immediately.

_“Shit. Shit, shit.”_ Keith just continued to play his keyboard and started to sing.

_I dress your wooden floor_

_That’s all it’s there for_

_My name falls from your mouth_

_You’re wearing it out_

_Boy call when you leave home but_

_He says he likes it when I turn off my phone_

_Missed call, missed chance_

_A little more than often I call back_

_Boy I’ll call when I leave home but_

_He says he likes it when I turn off my phone_

_Get on your back_

_You know I like it when you talk like that_

_You know I like it when you_

Keith and Lance made searing eye contact when Keith sang “get on your back” and his lip quirked up in the slightest when he sang “you know I like it when you talk like that”. Keith had also changed all the “she’s” to “he’s” and “girl” to “boy”.

As he started the second verse the rest of the crowd fell away. There was only Lance’s blue eye’s piercing into his. Lance looked down at the counter for a moment, and when he looked back up anger had taken over his expression. And Keith expected this, hell he had predicted it. But when was it ever his style to do things the easy way?

The instrumental part of the song came up and Keith pulled his guitar from his back and played that instead, singing the last chorus with all the pain and confusion he had felt over the last few days. He met Lance’s eyes one final time and smirked just a bit, “you know I like it when you”.

His head dipped forward with the weight of what he had just done and he played out the rest of the song, willing the tears not to fall.

When the song ended he was breathing hard and when he looked up the crowd was basically speechless. Cheering soon erupted and people screamed for more. But Keith was only able to watch as Lance weaved his way through the crowd and towards the door.

Panic rose up the back of his throat and wrestled with his guitar strap and flung it over his head, putting the guitar in its stand. Adam scrambled to fill the void Keith was leaving, thanking everyone for coming out.

But Keith was already off the stage and pushing through the crowd, ignoring everyone that was trying to talk to him. There was only one thing on his mind. He finally got to the door and ran outside.

“Lance!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOF. This chapter was getting really long so I'm splitting it up into two parts. I apologize for the cliff hanger. See you guys soon!


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Intense screaming

**Lance**

He wasn’t quite sure what he was doing here. The crowd in Altea was humming with an intense energy and Lance felt like he might puke. Allura had talked him into coming; she said he’d be a dick if he didn’t show. So here he was, making awkward eye contact while that blond guy lovingly wrapped an arm around Keith’s waist.

Keith’s eye widened when he realized he was looking at Lance. Then the blond guy looked over, grimaced a bit and his arm dropped. Lance bit his lip and moved toward a corner, hoping to melt into the wall. He watched as Keith exchanged a few words with the blond guy and then headed for the stage.

Page Ten went through their sound checks and Lance kept watching Keith. He couldn’t stop. Even though Lance could tell Keith was obviously on edge he was still in his element. Music was where this man belonged. A guitar looked so natural in his hands, he was the perfect height for it. Keith had his hair pulled into a sloppy bun and strands hung out and framed his face beautiful.

Then eventually Keith moved up to the mic and said “Hey everyone. Thanks for coming out tonight,” He strummed his guitar, “We have a couple of new songs for you tonight. So I guess I’ll shut up and we can get to it.”

The guys in the band instantly ripped into a song, and they all seemed to be on the top of their game tonight. The longer Lance watched the happier he was that he came. While he and Keith’s relationship may be in awkward place right now it was still amazing to see Keith put his heart and soul into something.

Every time Lance saw Keith’s eyes drifting in his direction he would look at the wall above the bands heads. He didn’t know why he was doing this either. Keith hadn’t done anything wrong necessarily, but he had been acting weird. His replies where always stunted and awkward, and they hadn’t seen one another in person since that weird run in at the library.

Keith was playing with a new kind of passion tonight. More and more hair fell from his bun and clung to the back of his neck. Lance gritted his teeth. He was so attracted to that man.

The band stopped playing for a bit and Keith gulped down some water and returned to the mic and said, “Ok, ok. Calm down guys. But I do love your energy. Next we got a song that we’ve been working on for years.”

“Hell yeah!” Lance searched for the source of the voice and saw it was the blond guy. Jealously flared up in Lance’s vision and he had to look away. His eyes almost instantly found Keith’s.

“And that’s not all. When we release our EP in a month you’ll get a video for _Natural_ too. We were lucky enough to work with a kick ass dancer, so keep an eye out for it.”

Lance felt his heart stop. Before he could stop it he smiled, faintly. But what if they couldn’t find their way back to one another? It would be awkward to go back and watch the video knowing how intimate they had been. But Lance felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched Page Ten play _Natural._

Watching the crowd Lance was pleased to see their reactions. People were really getting into it, and some of them were even crying. When he looked back up at Keith he was a little startled to see Keith was crying as well. He practically screamed the last lyrics.

_Dead and gone_

_All but fucking Natural_

A smile broke out over Keith’s face and he looked out at the crowd as he played the last chords. Lance couldn’t help but smile at him too. The man on stage had worked on that song for so long, it was great to see his fans treat it with the respect it deserved. Keith said something about waiting for the music video, and then the band went to the back room for a break.

Lance headed up for the counter and order some iced coffee, alcohol and the desperate want he felt would not be a good combination. While Lance was waiting for his coffee that blond guy came up to him and smiled warmly. “Hey. Haven’t seen you at a lot of Page Ten gigs before.”

Smiling tightly he replied, “I’m sort of new to this crowd.” He wondered what the guy was getting at. He had clearly seen Lance come in and was aware of Keith’s reaction.

The blond guy stuck out his hand, “I’m Rolo. Old friend of the bands.”

Carefully Lance shook the guys hand. “Lance.”

“Do you know one of the guys in the band?”

“Keith and I sort of know each other.” Lance looked down into his drink, “I’m just here to support him.”

Rolo looked at Lance for a long moment, “Well, support means everything to a small band. Thanks for coming out.”

Lance mumbled, “No problem.” And drifted further down the counter. Last thing he wanted right now was to talk to Keith’s ex. The ex that he was still extremely close to apparently. While Lance was debating leaving he heard the crowd scream and when he looked up he saw Keith making his way over to the Rolo guy. Keith leaned in close and said something into his ear and Rolo grinned broadly.

God it hurt. It hurt so bad to see Keith interact and be so intimate with someone that wasn’t him. The other two men exchanged a few more words and then Shiro and Adam emerged from the back room. Both were smiling ear to ear and Lance figured something good must have happened.

“We have a couple more songs for y’all tonight.” Keith said. He and Shiro exchanged a look “And I think my cousin and his boyfriend here deserve a round of applause. They just got engaged.”

Lance felt that like a punch to the gut. If the counter hadn’t been supporting him he might have physically staggered backward. He desperately tried to figure out why his first thoughts were of Keith proposing to him. Shaking those thoughts from his head Lance tried to get lost in the performance but he felt bile slowly creeping up the back of his throat.

He always fucking did this. Got too close too fast. Fell hard and never thought of the consequences. He was only going to end up getting hurt. Keith was too bright for him. Lance was a dull coin, he had nothing to offer.

Tears stung at his eyes and he looked back down at the counter. Distantly he heard Keith say something about Page Ten covering a song but he was lost in his own world. But almost the second the song started he felt his head whip up and he looked at Keith imploringly. Were they seriously covering _A Little More_? The song that he and Allura had danced to?

Then it hit him. Keith was doing this to make fun of him. It had never been serious for Keith. He had been stringing Lance along the whole damn time. All that intimacy had meant nothing. Maybe he had just wanted to use Lance for the video and now that it was over Keith finally let the ruse go.

The two men made burning eye contact as Keith sang, and even though it felt like Lance’s heart was shattering into a million pieces he still _wanted_ Keith. If the situation had been any different Lance might’ve been pleased that Keith took the time to cover a song that Lance danced to.

As he listened he noticed Keith had changed all the “she’s” to “he’s” just to hit the point home harder. Now Lance was getting angry. He had truly believed Keith was different. Keith had the audacity to _smirk_ at him as Page Ten finished up the song.

Keith looked worried and Lance _almost_ felt bad. Abandoning the rest of his drink he pushed through the crowd, ignoring the complaints from the people around him. Pushing into the cool night air Lance attempted to take a deep breath but it got stuck in his throat.

He felt the hot slice of tears down his face and he grit his teeth. What a fool he had been. This is what he gets for getting his hopes up.

“Lance!” A desperate shout came from behind him and Lance had to force his feet to keep moving. “Lance, please!” Keith caught up with him quickly, grabbing one of his arms.

Lance shook free and glared, “What do you want Keith? I thought you made your point pretty clear back there.”

Keith blinked, he looked shocked. “You’re crying.”

Huffing a bit Lance looked at a point over Keith’s shoulder, “And why is that any of your business?”

“Because I was the one who did it this to you?”

“Wow.” Lance’s voice dripped with sarcasm, “A+ for you.”

“Lance… please just let me try to explain.”

“Explain what? That you were making fun of me? That this was all some stupid fucking game to you?”

Keith’s brow furrowed, “What do you mean?”

“Oh come on Keith. Don’t play dumb now. You playing the fucking song Lura and I danced to at the competition. It was like a slap in the face. You used me for what you wanted and that was your brilliant way of telling me that you’re done with me.” Lance’s voice broke on the last three words and he hated himself for it. It shouldn’t hurt this bad. They weren’t even dating. It shouldn’t hurt.

“I wasn’t making fun of you!”

“Then what the fuck was that Keith?”

The taller man scrubbed a hand into his hair, “I was, no. I _am_ jealous.”

“Jealous? Of what?”

“Of you and Allura!” Keith was clearly as frustrated as Lance, “You two are so fucking close and its been driving me crazy! Because I want that with you! But you already have it with someone else!”

It was Lance’s turn to blink in surprise. “Wait.” He rubbed a hand over his face, “You covered that song because you’re _jealous_? Of me and _Allura_?”

“I didn’t make it obvious?”

“How in the hell was I supposed to know?” Lance lifted his hand and looked at Keith, confusion and anger laced in his expression, “You’ve been avoiding me all week Keith.”

“Because I don’t know how to do this!” This time Keith’s frustration was directed at himself, “I don’t know to express my feelings.”

“So instead you avoid me and cover a fucking song and expect me to understand it?”

Keith groaned and closed his eyes, “I know it was stupid. And I hurt you and I regret it.”

“I still don’t understand…” Lance tried to kill that tiny bubble of hope in the back of his mind. This conversation wasn’t going to end well.

“Lance,” Keith’s voice was practically bleeding he sounded so hurt, “Why would you be with me when you could be with her?”

A startled laugh escaped Lance’s mouth. Keith looked at him like he was insane. “Keith. Allura is fucking _engaged._ ”

A tense silence fell over the two men. Keith blinked and Lance couldn’t help but laugh. “I had a stupid crush on her freshman year, but she’s like a sister to me Keith. I don’t want anymore than that from her.”

Keith inhaled sharply and mumbled, “I’m so fucking stupid.” Then mercifully he closed the distance between them and kissed Lance, hard.

Gasping a bit Lance clenched a fist in Keith’s shirt. That’s what this had all been about? Keith thought Lance and Allura were a thing? Keith’s mouth slid over Lance’s and their tongues collided and Lance shuddered a bit.

The longer he thought about it the more it all started to make sense. Why Keith had seemed afraid to take things any further. Why he covered that stupid song. They separated and Lance looked up at Keith, panting a bit. “I’m sorry.” Keith’s stroked a thumb under Lance’s left eye, “I’m an idiot. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Laughing a bit Lance gently poked Keith’s stomach. “I’m sorry too. I should’ve told you there’s nothing between Allura and I.”

Looking at each other for a bit they both laughed. Lance was so relieved. Keith _was_ different from everyone else that used Lance in the past. Keith leaned his forehead against Lance’s and sighed. “I think we both get an F in the communication department.”

“That’s an understatement.” Lance let Keith pull him closer. “New rule, we talk about the important shit.”

Keith chuckled and Lance felt a pleasant burn down his spine. Angling his head just right he gently kissed at Keith’s neck. The taller man sighed and pulled Lance’s lips back to his. And there they stood, kissing in the middle of the sidewalk, some of the people that had been at the Page Ten gig streaming past, curious gazes and whispers sent their way.

Soon the kisses started to grow a bit more heated, deeper. Keith’s hands flattened at the base of Lance’s spine and rode up slowly. Lance couldn’t help the gasp and shudder that ran through him. Keith pulled apart and said roughly, “Let me take you home.”

Gripping Keith’s shirt in his hands Lance was helpless to say much else. “Ok.”

***

Keith had sent a hasty text to his band mates, saying something had come up and he couldn’t help tear down. But he’d be back tomorrow to finish everything and grab all his shit. Lance felt incredibly guilty, Shiro and Adam had just gotten engaged, and they should go out and celebrate as soon as possible. But the blind lust he was feeling at the current moment sort of overshadowed everything else.

They didn’t have far to go and Lance was grateful for that. All he wanted was Keith on top of him, and he needed it fast. “My place is kind of small,” Keith rubbed at the back of his neck with his free hand, “I um, I’ve never needed much.”

“Keith,” Lance huffed a bit, “The last thing I care about right now is how big your,” He couldn’t stop his eyes from drifting downwards, “Apartment is.” He finished and swallowed hard.

Keith laughed a bit darkly and pulled Lance along a bit quicker. After another block they were _finally_ at Keith’s building. Lance was hardly aware of how they got inside and up to Keith’s apartment. But he was wholly aware of when Keith’s mouth finally overtook his own. “Ah-ah…” Lance inhaled shakily, burying his fingers in Keith’s hair. He was pushed back up against Keith’s door and his breath hitched. They were moving pretty fast now, Keith’s hands were up Lance’s shirt and Lance had wrapped his legs around Keith’s hips.

Keith’s mouth left Lance’s and moved to his neck, and Lance let his head fall back a bit as the sensations ran through him. “I’m sorry I’m such a fucking idiot.” Keith mumbled into the delicate skin just behind Lance’s ear.

“That’s the last… the last thing I’m worried about right now.” Lance replied shakily.

Keith looked up at him, his pupils dilated. “Ah shit, come _here,_ ” He yanked Lance’s mouth back down to his and God it felt so good. Lance felt his back pressed up against the door a bit harder and then they were moving. Keith was carrying him somewhere.

They collapsed in a tangle of limbs on a couch and they paused, trying to regroup. Keith was looking at Lance carefully. One of his thumbs ran along Lance’s jawline, “Tell me this is ok.”

Lance felt his expression soften, “This is ok. We’re ok.” He pulled Keith’s lips back to his and fell into the sweet intoxication of it. Keith’s hands were all over his body now and Lance was helpless to do little else other than run his hand through Keith’s hair. The temperature around them grew by the second and Lance lost the ability to think straight.

Somehow they managed to kick off their shoes and Keith sat back, yanking his shirt over his head. He allowed Lance a moment to study his body. Shakily Lance reached out a hand and ran delicate fingers over the tattoos all over Keith’s body. They were all black and gray and it contrasted so beautifully with his pale skin. “You’re… you are so gorgeous.” Lance whispered.

Smirking a bit Keith lifted Lance’s hand from his chest and kissed at Lance’s fingertips. Lance could hardly breathe. They hadn’t even done anything yet but Lance was on fire. Sitting up a bit Lance pulled off his own shirt and leaned his head against Keith’s shoulder. “You ok?” Keith asked carefully.

“Yeah. I’m ok.” He looked back up at Keith and smiled, “I’m just nervous.”

“We don’t have to do anything-“

Lance cut him off with a heated kiss. Of course he was still scared, but if Keith didn’t fuck him soon he might lose his mind. After what had happened over the last week Lance was desperate for all he could get. It might be his only chance.

Keith responded happily, pushing Lance down onto the couch, running his hands up and down Lance’s chest.

Desperate hands grabbed at pants and socks and added to the ever-growing pile of clothes on the floor. When their bare chests met for the first time they both groaned. It took Lance a bit to realize Keith had changed their positions again, he was sitting on the couch and Lance was in his lap. Pausing a bit to try and catch their breathe Lance untangled Keith’s hair from its sloppy bun and released it so it flowed down around his shoulders. Lance tracked the movement with his eyes, wondering what was going to happen next. There were a lot of different ways they could take this. Lance was pretty much down for anything, but it had been quite a while since he’d been with anyone.

Keith touched Lance’s chin gently. “What’s going on in your head?”

“Hm. Just wondering how we are going to do this.” He smiled softly, kissing Keith’s forehead, “Its uh- been a while for me.”

When Lance pulled back his heart almost shattered at the soft look on Keith’s face. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

Taking advantage of the moment Lance shifted his position a bit and they both groaned at the delicious friction. “Just make me feel good.” Lance whispered into Keith’s ear.

The other man didn’t need any more convincing. Their lips met again and it was sloppy and heated and so fucking _wonderful._ It didn’t take long before Lance was nothing more than a shuddering mess at Keith’s hands.

Lance had always liked sex. If it was done right it could be really fun. And he had had a fair share of encounters over the years, but those all paled in comparison to what was happening now. He could hardly breathe but that wasn’t really a concern right now. There wasn’t an inch of Lance’s skin that Keith didn’t caress or kiss. He wasn’t aware that he was crying until Keith paused to brush some tears away and kiss at his eyelids. “Is it too much?” Keith asked gently.

Shaking his head Lance searched for words. Any words. “I, I just…” He practically sobbed when Keith kissed at his neck again and rubbed their bodies together. “I need you to.” Lance finally got out.

Keith pulled back and looked down at Lance and smiled. “Are you sure?”

Not trusting his voice Lance just nodded weakly. Keith settled between his legs and Lance wrapped his arms tightly around Keith’s neck, burying his face in Keith’s shoulder. “Ah-ah _Keith_ …”

“You ok?” Keith asked and the way he was holding back his voice almost ruined Lance.

He pushed his hips up and finally got Keith to make a delicious sound that he wanted to hear again. “More than ok.” Pulling back a bit he touched Keith’s chin and gasped when Keith pushed forward. God it felt so fucking good. Then they were kissing again and Lance allowed himself to get lost in the rhythm and feeling of it all.

Keith was being terribly gentle with him and it was making Lance’s heart pound in his chest. The beat was irregular and scattered. With their chests pressed together Lance could feel that Keith’s heartbeat was much the same.

As Keith picked up his rhythm Lance had to bite his lip. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could last. “Keith, I-“ Lance gasped, digging his fingers into Keith’s back.

“Its ok…” Keith whispered into Lance’s collarbone, “I got you.”

Lance lost it then. How was he supposed to handle this? He wasn’t used to being treated with such care. His entire body shuddered with the power of his orgasm. His vision blacked out for a second and when it was finally over he was left sweating and panting and feeling so terribly new. The sight of Lance beneath him was enough to Keith to trip over the edge as well, and he collapsed next to Lance, pulling the shorter man close and pressing a kiss to his neck.

They lay there together for a long time, catching their breath and staying lost in their thoughts. “So did I do it?” Keith eventually asked.

Looking over at him Lance quirked a brow, “Do what?”

Keith smirked slowly, “Make you feel good.” Blushing furiously Lance covered his face with his hands. Keith kissed Lance’s neck again and his laugh rumbled through Lance’s chest. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Lance couldn’t help but laugh, and he wrapped his arms around Keith’s neck. “You’re such an ass.”

***

Hours later and after a couple more rounds Lance was on his stomach in Keith’s bed. The other man was passed out, fucked out and exhausted. It was still a bit of a daze how they got here but Lance didn’t regret anything. In fact he was happier than he had ever been. He looked at the clock sitting on the floor next to Keith’s bad and saw that it was around three in the morning. Lance sighed and settled more comfortably in bed. Carefully he reached out a hand and stroked Keith’s face.

Keith’s eyebrows scrunched in his sleep and Lance laughed a bit. This beautiful, ridiculous man was into Lance. Really into Lance. And he felt the same way. It was stupid but Lance never felt this way about a person before. Not even Allura. This was so different from anything Lance had ever experienced.

“How long have you been awake?” Keith mumbled sleepily, keeping his eyes closed.

Lance grinned, “Not long.”

Sighing heavily Keith cracked open one eye. “I thought I would’ve put you to sleep for sure.”

“Keith!” Lance lightly slapped at Keith’s face, “You have no shame.”

Keith laughed and flipped onto his back. “Do you have anything to do later?”

“Keith,” Lance pushed up on his elbows, “Are you asking me to spend the day with you?”

“Maybe.” He rubbed his face; “I want to make it all up to you.”

Lance paused for a bit. “You don’t have to make anything up to me.”

They looked at each other for a bit and then Keith tackled Lance back into the bed. He smothered Lance with kisses until Lance was laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe. “Keith come on!”

The taller man pulled back and smirked a bit. “But I do want to do something… I treated you horribly.”

“I did too.” Lance admitted, “I started to pull away from you because I was scared.” He ran his hands down Keith’s chest, then back up and over his arms, “We both made mistakes. But we’re here now.” He smiled when Keith leaned down and kissed him. “So let’s just forget last week ever happened, yeah?”

Keith looked at Lance in a new way, but soon his face broke out in a smile. “Yeah, ok.” Keith settled back in bed, pulling Lance close. Lance rested his head on Keith’s chest, listening to his heartbeat and tracing his tattoos. “Lance?”

“Hm?”

“Wanna be my boyfriend?”

Blinking a bit Lance sat up a bit and looked at Keith in shock. “Wait really?”

“Yeah,” Keith’s face was so fucking soft, “I want to be with you.”

Lance felt his eyes fill with tears and he blushed a bit, rather embarrassed. “Ok. Ok MCR I’ll be your boyfriend.”

Keith smiled fully, “Good.” He pulled Lance’s face down for a gentle kiss. Then he let Lance rest his head back on his chest. “I’m not embarrassed to tell you I’m over the fucking moon happy.”

Giggling a bit deliriously Lance just wrapped his arms tighter around Keith’s waist. “Honestly I feel like I can breathe again.”

The two men fell silent. But it was a happy silence. Lance just listened to Keith breath and his heart felt so fucking full. But then a thought came crashing into Lance’s mind and he sat up, looking down at Keith carefully. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“You were with your ex before the show… I don’t know I just…”

“Lance.” Keith ran a hand up one of Lance’s arms, “Rolo and I have been over for years. But we are really close. But I haven’t felt anything other than platonic feelings in years. _You_ are the one I want to be with.” He smiled brilliantly, “You make me a better person.”

“Jesus Christ MCR.” Lance blushed again, “You are going to kill me.”

“Come here.” Keith pulled Lance back down to his chest and a calming silence fell over them again. “You should get some sleep.” Keith whispered, “Because I’m not going to let you rest much tomorrow.”

“Oh shut up.”

***

The next morning Lance woke up before Keith and he sat up, cracking his back. Everything was a bit sore but he supposed that was to be expected. Carefully he left the bed and climbed down the ladder into the rest of Keith’s studio. Honestly Lance hadn’t seen much of it when they got here last night.

They had been a little preoccupied. Lance dug around on the floor for his underwear and pulled that on and he found the button up Keith had been wearing last night and tugged that on over his shoulders. It took him a bit but he eventually found his phone. It was going to die soon and he also saw that he had five missed calls from Hunk. “Shit.” He mumbled.

Dialing Hunk’s number Lance moved into the kitchen so he wouldn’t wake Keith. “Lance! For fucks sake! Where were you?” Hunk answered almost immediately.

“Sorry.” Lance’s voice still scraped with sleep, “I uh…”

“You said you were going to a gig? What the hell happened afterward?”

Lance bit his lip, “I might’ve gone home with someone?”

“Oh.” Hunk’s voice changed greatly, “Well that’s different.”

“Yeah…”

“Wait, what about Keith? I thought you guys were going pretty solid.”

Lance grimaced a bit and glanced up towards Keith’s loft. “It was Keith.”

“OH,” Hunk sounded happy, “Good for you!”

Lance couldn’t help but grin, “Yeah, yeah. And uh- I might be at his place all day.”

“Well shit!” Hunk was laughing now, “Ok. Thanks for calling me back. And be safe!”

“Whatever you say buddy.” Lance hung up the call and leaned up against Keith’s kitchen counter. Then he was smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. Last night had been so fucking incredible. And he and Keith were official now. A weight had been lifted off Lance’s shoulders.

He heard a sound and saw Keith climbing down the ladder from his loft. When he turned to face Lance he was squinting a bit. “You are the only reason I would ever wake up before noon.”

Laughing Lance put his phone on the counter and walked up to Keith and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Your bedhead is truly a wonder.”

Keith smiled and leaned down and kissed Lance softly. “You can keep that shirt. You look better in it than I do.”

Lance just smiled a bit helplessly and leaned his head against Keith’s shoulder. “I could make you breakfast.”

“How about a shower first?” Keith’s voice held an offer Lance knew he couldn’t refuse.

“After you cowboy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YODELS INTO THE SUNSET. 
> 
> See ya for the next chapter!


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Consist upload schedule? I don't know her.

**Keith**

He woke up in an unfamiliar bed. His brain worked on overtime for a second before he heard a sound next to him. Looking over he smiled fondly. Lance was on his stomach, clutching a pillow under his head.

Since they had started dating they hadn’t spent a night apart from one another. They had been flip-flopping back and forth between Keith’s studio and Lance’s apartment. If Keith was being honest with himself it still didn’t feel _real._ He had made such a colossal mistake… but Lance had forgiven him.

He flipped onto his side and stroked his thumb down the side of Lance’s face. Even in his sleep Lance leaned into the touch. Keith felt his heart throb.

There were some noises coming from the kitchen and Keith felt a bit embarrassed. Hunk seemed completely fine with Keith spending the night but he couldn’t help but feel like he was imposing a bit. Though at the same time Keith didn’t want to be away from Lance either. God he was already so fucking whipped for this man.

Lance sighed, shifted and slowly opened his eyes. “Morning.” His voice rumbled through his chest and Keith bit his lip.

Keith whispered, “Hi.”

“What time is it?”

“9.”

“Fuck.” Lance sleepily sat up and rubbed his eyes.

“Do you have a class?” Keith’s hand ran up and down Lance’s spine.

“Yeah.” Lance glanced down at Keith and smiled a bit. “And one of my professors wants to meet with me about something.”

Sitting up Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s waist. “I should probably let you get ready then.”

“Probably.” Lance twisted around and quickly kissed Keith’s cheek and then got out of bed. He was only wearing Keith’s boxers and Keith watched as the muscles shifted in Lance’s back as he stretched. “Wanna meet for lunch later?”

“Sure.” Keith got up as well, digging around the floor for his backpack. He found the set of spare clothes he brought with him. While they had spent the last two weeks sleeping at each other’s apartments Keith didn’t feel quite confident enough to leave clothes at Lance’s place. “Oh, and Will has the final cut for the _Natural_ video. Wanna come over to Shrio’s later to see it?”

Lance looked over his shoulder and smiled, it went straight to Keith’s head. “Of course.” He finished putting on some dance clothes and walked up to Keith and kissed him softly. “Now go brush your teeth MCR. Your morning breath is something else.”

Blushing a bit Keith trapped Lance in his embrace and smothered his face with kisses. Lance’s laughter nearly melted his cold heart. He couldn’t believe this was his life. Not long ago Keith didn’t think he would ever find anyone that made his heart stop. Rolo had been a once in a lifetime kind of thing, they didn’t fit together, they clashed at every turn but it had been exciting and fun. When it had ended Keith missed some aspects of it, like the sex and how close they had been. But it didn’t make his heart ache.

This… Lance was so wholly different. The way he smiled and laughed. Or when he looked at Keith in that special way. How passionate he was about dance and how he poured his blood, sweat and tears into it. The way he cared for his friends and family. The way he was laughing in Keith’s arms now… god it felt so good. It almost felt wrong to be this happy. Like something horrible would happen and life would take Lance away from him. Keith stopped teasing Lance and pulled back to run a thumb across Lance’s cheekbone. “Hi.” He said again, his voice so fucking _soft._

Lance was still smiling, a remnant from his laughter from a moment ago. “Hey.” He touched a thumb to Keith’s chin, “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Just thinking about you.”

Rolling his eyes mightily Lance kissed Keith’s cheek and went to finish getting ready. “Whatever you say Nicholas Sparks.”

Together they got dressed and went into the bathroom, Keith already had his own toothbrush, and finishing getting ready for the day. Lance sat on the counter and braided Keith’s hair on the sides and pulled the rest into a high ponytail. Since they had started dating Keith’s hair had never looked better.

“Lance!” Hunk called from kitchen, “I have a couple exams today so I won’t be home until late.”

Lance put the last touches on Keith’s hair and replied, “Ok! I think I’m staying over at Keith’s tonight!”

“Make sure you eat!” Then the front door closed and Keith and Lance were left alone.

Turning so he could stand between Lance’s legs he looked up into those blue eyes that already had such a hold over him. “Want some coffee?”

Lance draped his arms over Keith’s shoulders. “Hm. I need to cut back on my caffeine intake.” Together they moved out to the kitchen and Keith headed for the Kuerig and Lance made a smoothie. Once they both had their shoes on they headed out of the apartment and onto to campus.

Keith had never felt so confident before. Being hand in hand with Lance made him feel ten feet tall. The shorter man was currently blabbering on about something having to do with dance and Keith couldn’t keep up, but he didn’t care. His face softened as Lance jabbered on.

Dropping Lance off at the dance building with a tight hug and kiss Keith went on his way. He had two classes today and then he needed to make some copies for another class later in the week. Shoving some headphones in his ears he scrolled through his Spotify until he landed on I Prevail. _Bow Down_ blasted through his headphones and he immediately assumed the “dark, scary metal guy” persona.

Laughing a bit to himself Keith tried to imagine the contrast between how he looked now versus when he was with Lance. Right now he knew he looked scary and unapproachable, downright mean. But when he was with Lance he hardly ever stopped smiling, actually talked to new people. Lance was helping to break down all of Keith’s walls.

Sitting impatiently through all his classes Keith eventually made his way back out onto campus and headed for the library. His phone vibrated with a text and he dug around his pocket until he finally got a grip on it.

_You will never believe what my professor wanted to talk about_ 3:10 P.M.

_What was it?_ 3:11 P.M.

_There’s this huge dance magazine called_ Pointe _and apparently they want_ me _to audition for a running feature_ 3:12 P.M.

Blinking in surprise Keith felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

_That’s fucking incredible babe_ 3:13 P.M.

_Can you meet me at Altea later? I can tell you more about it then._ 3:14 P.M.

_Of course. I just need to make some copies and I can meet you there._ 3:15 P.M.

Moving a bit quicker now Keith headed for the library with renewed energy in his step. That was the best news for Lance. Of course Keith had no idea what _Pointe_ was but if Lance was excited about it then so was Keith.

He saw Pidge in the library and nodded in her general direction. She smiled and waved, adjusting her glasses. Leaving some of her stuff at the table where she was working and made her way to Keith’s side. “What’s up lover boy?” She asked, jabbing a finger into his side.

“Ow, Pidge,” Keith rubbed his side and dug through his backpack, “And I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

“You look more than fine to me.” She smiled up at him, “Lance must be treating you _very_ well.”

Keith stuttered a bit and blushed furiously, “Jesus Christ Pidge.”

She folded her arms on top of the printer and raised a brow, “No but really, how are you two?”

Smiling a bit Keith started to copy his papers, “Good. Really good.”

“Cool.” She tightened her ponytail; “I haven’t seen either one of you so happy in years.”

“You really think so?”

Pidge rolled her eyes, “Yes. Frantically it makes me sick.”

Laughing Keith finished up with his copies and looked down at his friend, “Well you better get used to it. Because I’m not letting him go anytime soon.”

Pidge’s expression changed ever so slightly, “Just be careful.”

“How do you mean?”

She sighed, “You already know Lance is special. When he feels, it takes him over. And that scares him. So try not to push him. Let things flow as naturally as possible.” Pidge’s face went incredibly serious, “Don’t hurt him.”

Keith looked at Pidge for a long moment, “I won’t.” Rubbing the back of his neck he looked at spot over Pidge’s head, “Honestly it all scares me too. I’m just trying to take it a day at a time.”

Punching his arm Pidge grinned, “Good. I’ll see you later.” She went back to her table and Keith put his copies in his backpack and left the library.

As he walked along Keith pondered what Pidge had told him. Of course Keith knew there was a possibility of this all coming crashing down around his ears. What he and Lance had was so powerful, and he could easily see why it would be scary. And even though Lance never talked about it Keith could tell he suffered from some anxiety, and possibly a bit of depression.

Keith understood that all too well. How hard it was to work against the voices in your own head telling you that you aren’t good enough. That you don’t deserve any sort of happiness. Keith’s hear clenched a bit painfully in his chest. What could he do to make Lance see he was worth _everything_?

Altea was only a block away so Keith picked up his pace. He already felt lighter on his feet knowing he would get to see Lance again soon. It was also a known fact that Lance and Keith pretty much embodied all the annoying couple troupes, but Keith was too happy to give a shit.

As Keith neared the coffee house he saw Lance through one of the huge front windows. He was running a hand through his hair and biting his lip a bit and Keith felt it in his gut. Keith already suspected his feelings were beginning to morph into something so big Keith wouldn’t be able to control it. That’s what scared Keith. He refused to think of the word that would perfectly describe his feelings. It was too soon, right? They had only been officially dating for two weeks. And sure Lance liked him well enough, but Keith knew if he tried to bridge that final gap between them he might scare Lance away.

Opening the door to Altea Keith heard the bell above the door ding merrily. Lance looked up and met his eyes and smiled brightly. “MCR!” He said happily.

“Hey.” He walked over to Lance’s table and happily enclosed Lance in his arms. He nudged his nose into Lance’s hair and inhaled deeply. They had only been apart for a few hours but Keith already felt better having Lance back in his arms. “Did you get any coffee yet?”

“No. I was waiting for you.” Lance quirked a brow, “And I’m paying today. Don’t try to stop me.”

“Well, maybe…” Keith looked for his wallet in its regular spot in his backpack but found it missing. “Wait.” He looked back up at Lance and saw his boyfriend smirking at him, Keith’s wallet in hand.

Lance patted Keith’s bicep as he went up to the counter, “You’re a creature of habit MCR.”

Chuckling a bit Keith sat down in defeat and watched Lance interact with the girl behind the counter. He was such a happy, carefree person. It was hard to imagine Lance having hidden insecurities, but Keith supposed the people that shine the brightest have the most to hide.

Rolo appeared from the employee room and he noticed Lance up at the counter. Lance acknowledged his presence with a friendly smile that Rolo returned. But as soon as Lance’s attention was directed elsewhere Rolo’s expression fell. He was watching Lance with a guarded disdain.

Keith felt his brows furrow a bit. He hadn’t hung out with Rolo as much lately, what with Lance taking all his attention. That expression was something Keith hadn’t seen in a long while. Rolo’s eyes flicked through the store and landed on Keith. Once again his expression changed drastically and he smiled happily. But that lingering anger stayed behind his eyes.

Nodding a bit Keith was distracted when Lance came back to the table, coffee in hand. He gently kissed the top of Keith’s head and sat down, clearly bubbling over with excitement. “You look like you’re about to burst.” Keith said fondly.

Lance bounced up and down in his chair, “Do I really?”

“Lance, look at you. You’re _bouncing_.”

“I know! Because I have a fucking audition for _Pointe_!” He smiled so broadly Keith was surprised Lance’s cheeks didn’t split open.

Keith grabbed one of Lance’s hands and kissed it quickly, “That’s great babe, but what does that mean exactly?”

“Oh right.” Lance giggled, “I forget you aren’t savvy in the dance world.”

“I only know what you’ve told me.”

“Well,” Lance took a large sip of his iced coffee, “ _Pointe_ is the biggest dance publication in the world! Only the best dancers are considered for a spot to be featured. My professor told me I was one of the ten college students across the U.S. that was selected!”

“Holy shit. That’s incredible!”

“Right?” Lance’s expression faltered just a bit, “I’m going to have to work my ass off.”

“So they select ten students and then make you audition for the actual spot to get featured?”

“Yeah.” Lance looked down into his iced coffee, “But uh… Lotor got selected too. It was the first time two students from the same school have been chosen.”

“Oh.” Keith watched as Lance’s expression fell completely. “But hey, you are fucking amazing babe. I believe you’ve got a real shot.”

He looked up at Keith and mustered a small smile, “You think so?”

“I know so.” Keith smiled as Lance’s eyes brightened up a bit more. “So when is the audition?”

“In two weeks. My other dance professors let me put a pause on my other stuff for now.” Lance’s fingers shook a bit as he talked, it was obvious that he was nervous, “I have to figure something out soon.”

“Is there any way I can help?” Keith asked carefully.

Lance looked up at Keith and smirked. “Maybe just take it easy on me the next couple of weeks.”

Keith choked a bit on his coffee and gave Lance a dirty look. The other man just laughed. At least the shine was back in his eyes, it was making Keith nervous to see Lance struggling.

He watched his boyfriend carefully. There was anxiety in the undercurrents of his expression. Keith supposed to was a huge honor to be selected for an audition, but Lance still had to come up with a whole new dance, one that likely showed off how skilled he really was. And there were nine other dancers he had to compete with, including someone he knew. Keith couldn’t imagine the amount of pressure Lance must be feeling right about now. “So what happens if you get the feature?” Keith asked.

“They want to do a little series on Youtube or some shit. And I’d get the center spread in their upcoming magazine.”

“That would be amazing.” Keith took Lance’s hand from across the table. “If you’d like I could mix a song for you.”

“You’d do that?”

“Of course I would. If you gave me a general feel for want you wanted I could whip something up in the next couple of days.”

“Have I mentioned lately I don’t deserve you?” Lance squeezed Keith’s hand.

Keith rolled his eyes and tried to hide a grin, “I think you’ve got that backwards.”

For the next hour or so Keith did his best to keep Lance distracted. Keith knew if Lance had too much time to think his mind would go to a dark place. Keith wanted Lance to stay excited about the audition, not worry about it. Glancing at his watch Keith jumped out of his chair.

“What is it?”

“We were supposed to be at Shiro’s 10 minutes ago.”

“Oh shit.” Lance shrugged a little sheepishly, “My fault.”

Keith grabbed their empty glasses and kissed Lance quickly. “Shiro hasn’t even texted me yet so he hasn’t noticed were late.” As he went to put the glasses in the dirty dish bin he noticed Rolo watching. He gave Keith a look that Keith couldn’t quite read. Glaring a bit Keith started to make his way over to his friend but Rolo said something to his coworker and disappeared into the back room. Standing in the same spot for a bit Keith wondered what had gotten into Rolo.

“Ready to go?” He asked Lance.

“Yep.” They left Altea hand in hand and headed for Shiro’s. The wind had picked up considerably and it smelled like it might rain.

“We better hurry.” Keith said, pulling Lance close.

Lance nodded but stay quiet. What Keith wouldn’t do to be able to jump into Lance’s head and take all his fears and doubts away.

After about ten minutes they were at Shiro and Adam’s little house. It had an adorable picket fence and everything. Keith knocked on the door and waited for his cousin to answer. Shiro came to the door, looking a bit irritated. “You’re late.”

Keith shrugged helplessly, “We got a little caught up-“

“Don’t tell me your excuse is that you were having sex.”

“Jesus!” Keith punched Shiro in the arm, “Relax Shrio. We were at Altea.”

“Sure you were.” Shiro rolled his eyes but he was grinning. Keith and Lance followed Shiro into his house. The house was smaller, but it suited Adam and Shiro perfectly. Just past the front door was their living room that bled over into the kitchen. There was a master bedroom and bathroom, and a small guest room and half bath. They used the guest room as an office. Adam kept his drum kit out in the garage, making it so they couldn’t park their car inside.

Adam was sitting on the couch and glanced up from his phone. “There you two are.”

“Sorry we’re late.” Keith sat in the only other chair in the room, “Got caught up with something.”

Lance smiled a bit hesitantly and sat on the arm of Keith’s chair. Shiro joined Adam on the couch and Shiro pulled up his email, “You guys ready to see this?”

“I think so.” Keith was more nervous than he wanted to admit. They were dropping this video on Friday and today was the last day they would get to make any changes.

Shiro plugged his laptop into the TV so they could see the video in a larger format. He clicked play and Keith held his breath. Lance’s arm snaked around Keith’s neck. Lights flashed before Keith’s eyes as the video started up. Keith felt a bit ridiculous watching himself on the screen, but he had to admit it looked good. Will was a genius behind the camera and it showed. All three guys look incredible and Keith’s eyes burned with a different kind of passion. Lance’s mouth was close to Keith’s ear, “You look so fucking hot.”

Smirking a bit Keith waited for the part of the video he was really looking forward to. The second Lance came on screen Keith sat up a bit straighter. Lance looked absolutely enchanting. The all black he wore was a great choice. The minimum lighting cast shadows across Lance’s angular face.

The way he danced was so seamless, it sucked the watcher in. And even though Keith had felt awkward when they filmed the lifts they looked amazing in the video.

Once the video ended the four men sat in silence. Adam was first to break the silence, as per usual. “Well I think that’s fucking sick.”

Shiro laughed and scrubbed a hand through Adam’s hair. “That’s all you got?”

He shrugged, “Will made all the changes we asked about. I think its perfect the way it is. If we try to change something now we might ruin it.”

Keith nodded to show his agreement. “I love it the way it is.” He looked up at Lance, “What do you think?”

“I mean, it’s not my bands video.” Lance looked a bit awkward, “I don’t think I should really have a say…”  
  


“Bullshit!” Adam quipped, “You’re the sexy one in that video. So you get a say.”

Lance blushed furiously and Keith laughed. He wrapped an arm around Lance’s waist and squeezed. “Tell us honestly, what do you think?”

He thought for a bit, “I really like it. It flows a lot better than the first couple cuts.”

“Great!” Adam fell back on the couch, his head settling on Shiro’s lap, “I’ll give Will the go ahead.”

Shiro looked down at Adam happily. Those two had been extremely content ever since they announced their engagement. They were going to have a simple wedding sometime in February. It only gave them a few months to plan everything but Shiro wasn’t too worried.

“Let’s go.” Keith said softly. It looked like his cousin and fiancé would need some alone time soon. “See you guys on Friday.”

“Sounds good.” Shiro replied distantly.

Friday was the video release party. Shiro had originally planned to propose then, but had jumped the gun early. Keith was still pretty excited about the release party. They hadn’t done one of these in years. And last time they had done one only Rolo and a few other people had shown up. It would different this time for sure.

Lance closed the front door softly behind them and he quirked a brow, a teasing look in his eyes. “And Shiro was the one complaining about _us_. The audacity!”

Keith just grinned and pulled Lance in by the neck, kissing him. “Do you have plans for the rest of the day?”

“I should really practice…” Lance inhaled sharply when Keith nipped at the point where his jawline met his neck. “But uh… maybe we could go to your place?”

“Gladly.”

***

“You know,” Keith ran his hands up Lance’s naked hips, reveling in how beautiful he was, “I’m really proud of you.” They were in Keith’s bed, coming down from their highs. Keith was on his back, Lance straddling his lap.

Lance smirked a bit, looking down at Keith with a mischievous look in his eyes, “What, proud of my sexual talents?”

“No.” Keith laughed and poked at Lance’s ribs, “But those are quite impressive. I’m talking about the audition.”

“Hm.” Lance’s hands roamed all over Keith’s chest, “I’m nervous.” Lance finally admitted, “I’m worried I won’t be good enough.”

“Hey.” Keith cupped Lance’s cheek in his hand, “Don’t listen to those voices in your head. You are ridiculously talented.” His hand moved down to Lance’s chest where Keith pointed gently at Lance’s heart, “Just trust your instincts.”

Lance leaned down and kissed Keith and Keith’s hands settled once more on Lance’s hips. It was just so fucking intoxicating. Then Lance moved, very deliberately and Keith gasped into Lance’s mouth. “You did that on purpose.”

Lance just laughed and they got lost in each other all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long guys. Real life kinda punched me in the face and I lost all motivation to do anything for a while. 
> 
> Also my boys are fluffy.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me- doesn't post a chapter for like a week 
> 
> Also me- posts two chapters in two days because I'm a garbage person

**Lance**

“I’m freaking out.” Lance said, drawing his knees to his chest. He and Allura were over at her place; she lived in a posh apartment that her dad got for her when she first started at Berkeley. Her closet was bigger than Lance and Hunk’s entire apartment. But hey, Alfor made more money than he knew what to do with so it only made sense that Allura lived in luxury.

She had her own studio, complete with a barre and everything else she might need. “Well at least you were selected.” There was a trace of bitterness in her tone. Looking over at Lance she smiled gently, “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“I’m competing against nine of the most talented dancers the world has to offer!” Lance swallowed thickly, “And one of them is your fiancé by the way!”

Allura continued to stretch. “Lotor is aware of the problems this may cause.”

“Problems?” Lance’s voice jumped up an octave, “Lura! This is serious!”

“Hon.” Allura looked at him carefully, “I know this is serious. But all you and Lotor have to do is dance to the best of your ability. The outcome is out of your hands.”

Lance just nodded and drew his knees even closer to his chest. His fingernails dug into his biceps. God he was so anxious. He had always said if good things came into his life because of dance he wouldn’t question it. And a lot of amazing stuff _had_ happened because of dance. But it was still odd to be acknowledged for his… well talents.

But hell, _Pointe_ was the big leagues. It was insane; they sent scouts out to see _him._ And they liked what Lance did. But they also liked nine other people. Lotor was one of those people. And Lotor was one of the most talented dancers Lance had ever met.

Allura was in front of him, carefully prying his hands away from his biceps. She ran a delicate hand over the nail marks Lance had left in his skin. Their eyes met and she looked so concerned. “Lance. If this audition is too much you don’t have to do it.”

Lance shook his head and got up quickly. “I’d be a fool not to! It’s _Pointe_ Allura! Just the fact that I got an audition means that the big wigs have been watching me!” Lance felt his breathing speed up a bit, “I could actually make something of myself!”

“You just said it yourself Lance. The fact that you were considered is enough.” She sighed, “I’m afraid that the pressure might…”

He spun around to face her, “Might what, Allura?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” There was a bit of fury behind the concern, “You’ve been taking your meds?”

Lance sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair. “Yes, Lura. I’ve been taking my meds.”

He met his own eyes in the mirror in front of him. Even he could see the frantic energy that was starting to buzz behind his eyes. The dark circles were also back with a vengeance. Well, some of that was because of Keith. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. At least he had Keith right now. His boyfriend was the rock he had always needed in his life.

But even Keith wasn’t quite enough to keep the anxiety at bay. Keith was mixing a song for Lance, something a bit more upbeat and sexy. But Lance had no idea what dance he should do. Allura was right of course, she always was. He didn’t _have_ to do this audition. But what kind of idiot would he be if he turned an opportunity like this down?

And it wasn’t necessarily the audition that was scaring him. He had done thousands of them at this point. It was the thought of getting turned down that was keeping Lance up at night. It was like he could feel the humiliation clawing up the back of his throat.

A huge part of him wanted to take the easy way out and defer the audition. Then he would be spared the internal battle he was having. But the doors this could open for him… how could he refuse?

Allura came up beside Lance and pulled him into a tight hug. “Just give it some thought, love. I can’t imagine what an honor it is to have been chosen for this. But don’t let it hurt you.”

  
He returned the hug a little halfheartedly. “Thanks. Sorry for interrupting your practice.” He pulled away and headed for his bag. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Of course.” She folded her arms across her chest but didn’t stop him from leaving. Allura knew him well enough at this point. She knew that Lance needed some alone time.

But Lance wasn’t planning on being alone right now. What he needed was Keith. That stability, Lance _craved_ Keith’s warmth. Lance quickly walked through the rest of Allura’s massive apartment, phone in hand. Dialing Keith’s number Lance waited, almost desperately, to hear Keith’s voice. They had both been busy the past couple of days so they hadn’t seen one another much.

“I was just about to text you.” Keith sounded happy when he answered the phone. Swallowing Lance closed his eyes and let Keith’s voice soothe some of his worries. “Hey, you there?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.” Lance headed for the elevator in Allura’s building. “Are you busy?”

“Not really. Actually I was working on your song.”

“You were?”

Keith hummed a bit, “Yeah.” He went quiet for a bit, “Are you ok?”

Sighing Lance debated on whether or not he should be honest. But Keith always seemed to be able to see right through him. “Not really.” His voice came out as a strained whisper.

“Come over.”

Lance’s eyes fluttered shut, “Are you sure? You have that huge exam coming up…”

“Lance,” Keith kept his tone even and sure, “Come over.”

“Ok.” He swallowed again, finding that he was near tears, “I’ll be there soon.”

“Ok. Be safe.”

Hanging up the phone Lance made his way through the lobby of Allura’s building, smiling kindly at the door guy. “Mr. McClain.” He said formally, opening the door for Lance.

“Thanks.” Lance sat on a bench outside and pulled his roller skates out of his bag. Just another random hobby of Lance’s, he loved to roller skate. He had been doing it almost his whole life, his grandpa on his mom’s side taught him.

Once the laces were tight Lance put in his headphones and found his upbeat playlist. He put his phone in his backpack and set off, weaving past an elderly couple coming into the building. Allura’s apartment was further away from campus and when the weather was bad he would drive over. But it was nice out today so he roller-skated over. He figured he could use the exercise.

Keith’s place was only about ten minutes away. Lance tried to concentrate on the music but even that was doing no good to calm him. But he let the song run its course, getting lost in his own thoughts. He glided to a stop at a red light, smiling down at the little girl that was looking up at him in fascination. She tugged on her mother’s coat and pointed excitedly at Lance. The mother smiled and Lance waved as he skated across the street.

He had a sudden urge for his own mother. Honestly he couldn’t remember the last time he had been home. The bite of tears stung his eyes and he did his best to ignore it. After a few more blocks he finally saw Keith’s building and his heart strained painfully in his chest. Stopping outside to take his skates off he punched in the code to get in the door and headed upstairs. While he walked he tried desperately to get his emotions under control.

Keith cared about him… but Lance was still scared to let Keith see this side of him. The scared, weak side. Lance’s last boyfriend had left Lance because of his anxiety. The asshole had said it was too much for him to handle. Even though Lance was the one that had to deal with the anxiety.

Knocking on Keith’s door Lance gripped his backpack a little tighter in his hands. Then Keith answered the door and Lance felt like he could breathe again. He walked right into Keith’s arms and his boyfriend pulled him close, shutting the door behind them. “Hey.” Keith said softly, gently.

“Hi.” Lance melted at Keith’s touch. For a moment he let Keith run a hand through his hair while he breathed in Keith’s smell.

“Wanna tell me what’s bothering you?” Keith asked.

“I’m just nervous about this audition.”

Pulling back a bit Keith smiled softly down at him. “I can’t even begin to imagine.”

Lance dropped his backpack by the door, wandering over to Keith’s couch. “Do you think its stupid of me to try?”

“No.” Keith sat in his desk chair, resting his elbows on his knees, “Dance is your whole life, Lance. And this is apparently the chance of a lifetime.” Lance flinched a bit at the at, “But I see why you’re scared.”

Lance pulled his knees back to his chest. “I feel stupid for even debating about it. People would literally kill to be where I’m at right now.” He rested his chin on one of his knees, “But I…”

Exhaling slowly Keith got up and squatted in front of Lance, cupping one cheek in a hand. “Its ok to be scared babe.”

“Can you tell me something? So I don’t have to think about this anymore?”

Smiling gently Keith sat on the couch next to Lance, slowly prying Lance out of his fetal position. “Come here.” He whispered gently. Relenting Lance let Keith fold his body into his warm embrace. “Have I told you about Page Ten’s first gig?”

Lance relaxed a bit into Keith’s arms, “I don’t think so.”

Keith laughed a bit, “It was a fucking disaster. I was only like 19 and full of myself. We all thought we were hot shit. But when we rolled up to the bar to set up they forgot we were even supposed to be playing. Apparently we were trying to compete with open mic night and the regular patrons were not happy about us taking over the stage.”

“Well shit.”

“It just gets worse, trust me.” Keith’s hand ran up and down Lance’s neck, “The sound guy wouldn’t work with us at all so we had to free ball it. All of our backing tracks were off by a few seconds and I couldn’t figure out how to fix it.”

Lance closed his eyes and just listened to Keith’s voice. Felt the other man’s heartbeat and let it steadily calm him down. Keith kept going with the story, “Most of the people that were in the bar left when we started playing and only my dad and Rolo stuck around for the whole set. When we were packing up some old lady came up to us and asked us if we were a Beatles cover band.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Lance actually laughed a bit.

“Nope. I’m dead serious.” Keith kissed the top of Lance’s head, “When my dad and I got home I locked myself in my room and cried like an idiot.”

Lance looked up at Keith, “Seriously?”

“Really.” Keith grinned a bit, “I thought we would never recover. But the next couple of gigs went pretty well, and it sort of went uphill from there. But it was a slow and steady climb.”

They both went quiet for a bit. There was a question dancing at the edge of Lance’s tongue but he wasn’t sure how to ask it. Taking a deep breath he asked, “How did you find the courage to perform again?”

“Hm.” Keith’s hand started to card through Lance’s hair, “I argued with Shiro quite a bit after the first gig. I was convinced we were wasting our time. But Shiro is just as stubborn as I am and eventually he got me to agree to another gig.” Keith’s smile came back in earnest, “And by the time we had been playing for around a year or so I finally realized why I kept coming back. I loved it. I still love it. Performing gives me a rush like nothing else. We work so hard on producing our own music and seeing people enjoy it… I guess that makes it all worth it to me.”

Lance sat up a bit and looked at Keith for a bit. “You’re pretty amazing you know that?”

Grinning Keith shook his head, “Na, I’m just a stubborn shithead.”

Nudging their noses together Lance whispered, “ _My_ stubborn shithead.”

“Of course.”

Keith kissed Lance like they were in a fucking romance movie. It was so big and full and Lance could practically see the fireworks behind his closed eyes. And it was one cliché after another but it was like Lance had finally found something he had been looking for. All these years and it was Keith, a stubborn shithead, a talented musician, a man who cared deeply for his friends and family.

When he was younger Lance had always daydreamed about something like this. But he never thought he’d find it. And when he found out he was bi… those hopes seemed even more futile. On the surface Lance was cocky and confident. There was no one that could avoid his playful gaze and flirting. But underneath it all Lance was scared. Everything about who he was… it drove people away. When they found out about the darker parts they always left. Always.

But Keith hadn’t left yet. He was pulling Lance closer, cupping one of Lance’s cheeks in a hand. A breath hitched in Lance’s throat and he hated the way it sounded like a sob. So he just pushed in closer, trying to forget it all in the shape of Keith’s lips.

“Lance,” Keith’s voice fanned out over Lance’s lips, “What’s going on?”

“I can’t… I just don’t want to talk right now.” Lance squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to know what kind of look Keith was giving him right now.

The other man stayed silent long enough that Lance eventually had to pry his eyes open. “Lance.” There was something in the tone of Keith’s voice, in the glint in his eyes. “You don’t have to hide anything from me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Lance swallowed thickly and pressed his forehead to Keith’s. “I know, I just can’t do this right now. I’m scared.”

Lance was moved suddenly. Keith pulled Lance into his lap. “Alright. Its ok.” Keith’s hands rubbed at the top of Lance’s thighs. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

Gritting his teeth Lance just nodded. Then surged forward and greedily took Keith’s lips back as his own. He didn’t want to think right now. He wanted to get lost in Keith’s smell and skin. Keith got the hint and let Lance take what he wanted.

This was getting too big and Lance couldn’t stop it.

Honestly he wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

***

The song Keith had mixed was fantastic. He took _Head.Cars.Bending_ by The 1975 and sped it up a bit. Really brought the bass line in. Made it incredibly danceable and sexy.

But the song wasn’t the issue. Lance was. Or his lack of skill. He had been in the same studio for hours now, trying to hack out a routine that he felt good about. But nothing was working. For about an hour he had been hashing out a routine he felt confident in.

As he watched himself in the mirror now he hated what he saw. All his moves looked too robotic, disjointed. Nothing was flowing the way he wanted to.

“God!” He slapped his hands against this thighs a bit, “You’re better than this McClain.”

Stalking over to his phone he paused the song and drank some water, rolling out his toes and pointedly ignoring the pain he felt shooting all the way up his leg. He wasn’t going to leave this studio until he got this fucking routine. There were a few texts on his phone, some from Hunk and Allura… and a missed call from Keith. But Lance didn’t have time for that right now. This was an audition for _Pointe._ It wasn’t time to fuck around.

Starting the song over again Lance moved to the center of the floor, staring himself down in the mirror. He lost track of time as he moved across the floor. Nothing was working.

_Nothing was working._

Lance was going to lose the biggest opportunity he had ever been given all because he couldn’t nail a fucking dance. “Come _on_ McClain.” His voice cracked dangerously but the tears flowing down his face didn’t stop him from trying the routine again.

Attempting a jump Lance landed it wrong, twisting his ankle a bit. “Ah _fuck_.” Lance winced and tested rolling out his ankle. It wasn’t as bad as he thought. He could still dance like this. Getting back up he walked carefully to the center of the floor and waited for the song to begin again.

Putting too much weight on his right ankle hurt so he did his best to keep pressure off of it. He finished the dance again and still hated the way it looked. There must be something he could do to make this look perfect.

“Lance.”

His head whipped around and he saw Keith standing in the doorway of the studio. “What are you doing here?”

“I was worried. We all were.” Keith took a tentative step in the room. “Have you even checked your phone? We’ve been calling you like crazy.”

“Sorry.” Lance took his starting position again, “I can’t get this audition piece to look right. I just need to run it one more time.”

Keith’s brow furrowed, “Lance…”

“No, no. I’m fine!” Lance tried to bring that joyful tone back into his voice. He held his hands out in front of him, “I’m just practicing! You guys don’t need to worry about me.” Talking to Keith made him miss his cue. Pacing a bit he tried to jump back in and so he could finish the routine. Going up for an easy jump he put too much weight on his right ankle and went crumpling to the ground. Tears blinded his vision again and he tried to get up but his legs were shaking too hard.

“Lance!” Keith was at his side in an instance. “Lance, hey, are you ok?”

“I’m fine!” Lance tried to push out of Keith’s arms but it was a weak attempt. Through his tears his noticed how hard his hands were shaking “I just need…” He tried to inhale but it got caught in his throat, “to get this dance. I just… I can’t…”

_Possible Trigger Warning: Panic Attack_

Distantly he heard someone sobbing. It took him a horrible amount of time before he realized _he_ was the one crying. And it wasn’t pretty either. Great gulping sobs ripped through his body, his stomach hurt and it felt like he might throw up.

He was having a panic attack. It had been a long time since the last one. And he had been able to be alone during the last one. Keith was here. The part of himself that Lance had been so desperate to hide, laid bare. And even though Lance was ashamed of himself he couldn’t stop. All the pain and fear and worry from the last week came surging up and it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.

“Sh. I’m right here,” Keith was murmuring things in Lance’s ear; one of his large hands ran the length of Lance’s back. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to leave you.”

Lance choked on another sob but managed to get out a miserable, “Keith…”

Suddenly he pulled out of Keith’s and made a desperate lunge for the trashcan in the corner of the room. By some small miracle he made it in time, the contents of his stomach burning as they left his mouth. He dry heaved a few more times, still trying to breath through the sobs that wouldn’t stop shaking his body.

Keith was behind him, rubbing his back in soothing circles. Lance wiped his mouth on his cut off and sat back heavily, closing his eyes and digging his fingers into his palms. “Hey now,” Keith’s voice was almost sickeningly gentle. “Let’s not.” He carefully pried Lance’s fingers away from his palms. “Come here.” Lance was pulled back into the comfort of Keith’s arms.

His sobs were finally starting to subside so he took a few calming breathes. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, his throat was too raw for anything more.

“What are you sorry about?”

Lance made a helpless gesture, “For this.”

“You had a panic attack Lance. That’s nothing to apologize for.”

“I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

Keith pulled Lance’s chin, “Why?”

Shrugging Lance sat up a bit, massaging at his swelling ankle. “Because I hate this part of me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with having panic attacks babe. I get them sometimes too.” Keith came back around in front of Lance, trying to meet his eyes. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Looking up at Keith was hard. But Lance forced his eyes to meet the dark blue across from him. “You mean…” Swallowing thickly he fought for the right words, “You aren’t freaked out?”

Keith’s eyes softened considerably, “Of course not, Lance. So you anxiety. And now I know.” He reached out a gently caressed under one of Lance’s eyes, “So instead of trying to hide it from me you let me help.”

Blinking a bit Lance felt his eyes fill with more tears. All he managed was a desperate, “Ok.”

Keith leaned over and kissed Lance’s forehead. “Ok. Lets get you out of here.” He helped Lance stand and caught him as Lance stumbled a bit. It wasn’t just his ankle that hurt; his feet throbbed, sending pain straight up his legs. Accessing the situation Keith turned around and pulled Lance up onto his back.

“Whoa- Keith you don’t have to carry me…” Lance flushed at least ten different shades of red. “I can walk.”

He shook his head, “Nope. You hurt your ankle.” His eyes flashed back to Lance’s, then back forward, “And I don’t think you’ve noticed yet, but your feet are bleeding.”

“What-“ Lance looked down and saw that Keith was right. There were patches of deep red staining his normally tan colored jazz shoes. “I had no idea.”

Keith bent over easily, grabbing Lance’s bag and throwing his phone inside. He hit the light switch to the room and he carried Lance through the now dark building. “What time is it?” Lance asked wearily. He hadn’t even noticed that it got dark outside.

“About 1 A.M.” Keith’s voice was even, “A janitor let me in. He said you had permission from one of your professors to be here this late.”

Lance felt shame rise up the back of his throat. He pressed his forehead into Keith’s neck and didn’t say anymore.

As they walked along Keith hummed quietly, meant to soothe Lance. And it sort of worked. He closed his eyes and let the gentle rhythm of Keith walking almost lull him to sleep. God he was fucking exhausted. When he got like that he wasn’t aware of hard he was pushing himself.

Next thing he knew he was waking up as Keith walked them into his apartment. “You still with me back there?” Keith asked quietly.

“Yeah.” Lance allowed Keith to sit him down on the kitchen counter.

“Give me a second.” Keith disappeared into his bathroom. Reappearing a second later he set a first aid kit down on the counter next to Lance. “Do you want to take your shoes off or should I?”

“I can do it.” Lance felt a bit of stubbornness well up and he went to carefully pry off his jazz shoes. Most of the blood was dried at this point and he winced as he took the first one off. It made parts of his foot bleed again. Biting the inside of his cheek he made quick work of the next one, clutching the ruined shoes in his hands. He stared down at the shoes and tried breathing deeply. But tears spiked in his eyes again.

Keith took the shoes out of Lance’s hands and set them down on the floor next to Lance’s bag. He went to wash his hands and got a glass of water and pressed that into Lance’s hands. “Drink some of that.”

Then he went quiet, focused on the task at hand. He got a washcloth wet and carefully scrubbed down Lance’s feet. Every once in a while Lance would flinch, trying to ignore how badly it stung. “Sorry,” Keith pressed a quick kiss onto Lance’s right foot, “The worst part is over.”

Next Keith got out a bunch of Band-Aids and Neosporin. Lance watched him with a question dancing on the edge of his tongue. “Why are you being so good to me?” His voice was just a whisper.

Dark blue eyes glanced up at him and Keith smiled gently. “Well, just in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m pretty fucking into you.” His face went serious, “And honestly it scared me to see you like that. It was like you were willing to put yourself through any amount of pain, just to get to a point where you think you’d please other people.”

Lance didn’t know how to respond to that. He supposed Keith was right. Lance hadn’t been dancing like that because he liked it; he had been doing it because he thought it was what the people from _Pointe_ wanted from him.

Keith went on, “You don’t need to meet anyone else’s expectations. You got this far because you have a raw talent. Just follow your passions.”

_“I love you.”_

The thought came crashing into Lance’s head so fast he had no time to stop it. He opened his mouth and the words almost came tumbling out. But he snapped his mouth closed and he felt his eyes widen.

There was no way, right? He and Keith hadn’t even been together for a month yet! But now that the image was in Lance’s head it just grew bigger. Did he actually love Keith? Was that the name for all these feelings?

Keith finished putting Band-Aids on Lance’s feet and stood to his full height. “Do you think you can get up to my bed? The ladder might be a bit tricky.”

Lance swallowed. “I think I can manage.”

Kissing him quickly Keith smiled softly. “Ok.” He took the glass of water and put it in his sink. While he gathered up the trash from all the Band-Aid wrappers Lance limped a bit slowly over to the ladder to Keith’s loft.

He managed to climb up without any help but sat down heavily on Keith’s bed, rubbing at his ankle. God he had been so stupid. He shouldn’t have pushed so hard. There was only a week left until the audition. But now he would have to sit out from practice for at least a day or two to make sure he wouldn’t do any further damage.

“I’ll be up in a sec!” Keith called from the lower part of the studio.

Lance settled against the wall, clutching a pillow to his chest. Soon Keith’s head appeared as he climbed up the ladder. “Here,” He offered Lance an ice pack, “For your ankle.”

“Thanks.” Lance took the ice pack and gingerly set it on his ankle. It had swelled up a considerable amount in the last hour or so. Keith grabbed an extra pillow from somewhere off the floor and set it underneath Lance’s foot. His hand ran up the length of Lance’s leg. “I uh-“

Keith shook his head a bit, “You don’t have to say anything.” He crawled up the length of the bed and settled down on his bed, then opened up his arms, waiting for Lance. “Just come here.”

Managing a small smile Lance maneuvered so his bad ankle stayed above the blankets, resting on the pillow. Grabbing the rest of the blankets Lance pulled them up around the both of them, slotting himself into place.

Keith kissed Lance’s forehead and stroked the tips of fingers up and down Lance’s arm.

As he drifted off to sleep Lance couldn’t help but think, _“I’m falling in love with him.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith is the best boyfriend. ALSO OOOO LANCE. OH BOY. THINGS BE GETTING SPICY!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *yeets self into sun"

**Keith**

He didn’t sleep much. But Lance finally did. It was the most he had slept in days. Keith was too nervous to sleep, so watching Lance sleep was the next best thing.

His dark brown hair was matted up against the pillow and his face. Despite Lance’s tan complexion he was unusually pale. The dark circles under his eyes were concerning. One of his feet was still propped up on pillow towards the end of the bed.

Keith sat up slowly so he wouldn’t wake up Lance. His fingers ghosted over the four Band-Aids on Lance’s right foot. There were five on his left. Luckily it seemed like the swelling was going down in Lance’s ankle.

Sitting back carefully Keith ran gentle fingers through Lance’s hair. As he watched Lance’s chest rise and fall Keith found that his mind kept replaying what happened at the studio earlier.

He had called and texted Lance a few times but wasn’t getting any answer. They were supposed to have dinner. When Lance wouldn’t respond he texted Hunk and found that he was having the same issue. So he’d asked Hunk for Allura’s number and called her.

She had sounded hesitant when she picked up the phone, “Who is this?”

“Um, its Keith. Lance’s boyfriend. Sorry for calling so late.”

“Oh its fine. I was working an assignment anyway,” Her voice opened up, “Can I ask why you are calling?”

“I was just wondering if you had heard from Lance. Hunk and I have been calling and texting but we haven’t gotten a response.”

“Oh dear.” Keith could hear her nails clacking on a surface, “Are you sure he’s not at home sleeping?”

“Yeah we’re sure. Do you have any idea where he might be?”

“Try the dance building on campus. He mentioned something about practicing.”

Keith bit his lip, putting on his shoes. “Ok. Thank you.”

“Do let me know if you still can’t find him.”

“Will do.”

Keith had ended the call and jogged over to the dance building, ignoring the burning in his lungs. Once he got there he had to stand outside and knock on the front door for about five minutes until a disgruntled looking janitor appeared. “What do you want kid? This building is closed.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Keith awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, “But I was just wondering if there was a student still here…”

The janitor leaned against his mop and huffed, “Yeah. Some kid has been in studio 405 for hours now.” He pulled a slip of paper out the pocket of his overalls, “Got permission from one of his professors to be here late. But I can’t leave until he leaves.”

“I’m the guys… friend. I’ll go get him.”

“Whatever.” The janitor opened the door further and waved over his shoulder. “Just make it quick.”

Keith practically flew up the stairs, nervous energy buzzing at his fingertips. Once he got to the fourth floor he could hear the song he mixed vibrating through the walls. Rushing down the hallway Keith halted at the doorway, shocked by what he saw.

The first thing he had registered was how exhausted Lance looked. He was clearly pushing himself too hard. Keith winced when he saw that Lance had bled through both his shoes.

And then Lance had a full on panic attack; sobbing so hard he got sick. Seeing Lance like that hurt. Lance had been so scared and Keith couldn’t anything but hold him until the attack passed.

When Keith had been carrying Lance home rage boiled up in the pit of his stomach. It took him a minute to realize why he was angry. He was mad at the fates. So utterly pissed off that Lance carried the weight of the world on his shoulders and didn’t expect anyone would ever help him.

He did his best to hide his anger; he didn’t want Lance to think Keith was angry with him. So he patched up Lance’s feet and did his best to comfort his boyfriend.

Lance groaning in his sleep yanked Keith back to the present. One of Lance’s arms was flung up above his head, the other resting on his stomach. His breathing was still deep and even, so Keith hadn’t woken him up yet.

Glancing at the clock on the floor by his bed he saw that it was around 5 A.M. It was Friday; the video release party was tonight. He wondered if he could convince Lance to skip his classes today and try to catch up on some sleep. And if he didn’t care so much about _Natural_ he’d come up with an excuse for skipping out on the party. But he also knew Lance would never let him miss out on something so important to Page Ten.

Sitting up in bed he felt around for his laptop, then opened it up, turning the brightness down. He put one headphone in so he could keep an eye out for Lance. Then he started to mix some music. Its what he always did when he was nervous or anxious.

He spent about an hour moving sound files, playing around with an ancient song of Page Ten’s. He had been concentrating harder than he thought because he didn’t notice Lance waking up. Not until one of Lance’s hands rested on Keith’s hip. Yanking out his headphone he looked down at Lance carefully. “Sorry, I didn’t notice that you had woken up.”

“Its ok.” Lance’s voice was soft, maybe a bit embarrassed. “What are you doing?”

Keith angled his laptop so Lance could see the screen, “Just messing around with some old Page Ten music. We recorded this song years ago but never released it.”

Lance nodded slowly. Then he glanced up at Keith, “Did you sleep?”

“Not really. But it’s ok. I pull all nighters all the time.”

Lance smirked, “Probably not the best for your health.” His smile fell quickly, “Did you stay up because of me?”

Keith pushed his laptop aside and faced his boyfriend fully, “I did stay up to keep an eye on you, but because I wanted to.”

Rolling onto his back Lance stared up the ceiling. “Thank you… for yesterday.”

It felt like Keith’s heart shattered in his chest. “I’d do it again. I’m always gunna be here for you Lance.”

Light blue eyes met dark blue. Lance smiled slowly. “What time is it?”

“Around 6.”

“I should probably get going so I can get ready for classes.”

“Or…” Keith played with a stray string on his duvet, “We could skip classes today. You need to catch up on some sleep, rest your ankle and feet.”

Lance looked up at him carefully. “This will be the second time you’ve taken care of me you know.” A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Shrugging Keith pinched Lance’s nose, “So is that a yes?”

“I don’t have any important classes today anyways,” Lance turned over so he was on his side, grimacing when his swollen ankle slipped off the pillow. “And I really overworked myself yesterday. Taking it easy would be in my best interests.”

Lance closed his eyes again and shifted around a bit more until he was completely comfortable. One eye cracked open and Lance sighed a bit, “You have questions.”

“I do. But I don’t have to ask them if you don’t want me to.”

Both eyes opened and Lance looked up at Keith carefully. “We said we’d talk about the important shit, remember?”

“Yeah I do.”

“Then ask away.”

Leaning down on one elbow Keith brushed some hair off of Lance’s forehead. “Why were you trying to hide that from me?”

Sighing heavily Lance kept his eyes fixed on Keith’s forearm. “I guess I’ve always been ashamed of my anxiety. I love my parents but they don’t really have open minds when it comes to mental health. It wasn’t until high school and I saw a counselor on the fly that I realized what was wrong with me.” He reached out a hand and twined his fingers with Keith’s, “And when I started college I saw my first psychiatrist and I’ve been taking meds for anxiety and depression ever since.”

“So you’ve been hiding it?”

“I guess.” Lance closed his eyes; “I don’t have panic attacks often. But when they happen its always bad. I didn’t want you to see that side of me because I thought you’d leave. Everyone else did.”

Keith’s eyebrows drew together, “Your past partners left you because you problems with anxiety?”

Lance didn’t say anything, just nodded tightly.

“How is that fair?”

“Its not. So I guess I just learned to keep it in check. Hide it from the people I care about.”

Pushing his nose into Lance’s hair Keith fought back that anger he had felt last night. How _dare_ anyone treat Lance like he was less then they were just because he struggled with mental illness. Keith had been battling depression most of his life so he understood a bit of what Lance was going through. How people would look at you different, act like if they came in contact with you that they would “catch it”. “I’m so sorry you had to go through shit like that.”

Lance just shrugged. “And I know you’re different from those people, but I guess old habits die hard.”

“Well, just try to remember that I’m here for you. If you ever need to talk, or cry, or vent… I’ll always be here.”

“There you go, getting all Nicholas Sparks on me.” Lance laughed a bit, tugging on Keith’s hair.

“Can’t help it,” Keith nipped along Lance’s jawline, “You bring it out in me McClain.”

Keith moved his lips to Lance’s and kissed him tenderly, pushing Lance’s head deeper into the pillow. The way their lips fit together seemed a little… magical. Keith felt a little stupid for thinking it but it certainly felt perfect.

Lance sighed a bit, opening his lips up to the kiss. Keith titled his head to get better access, dragging his tongue over Lance’s. The man beneath him shivered a bit so Keith dropped his other elbow on the opposite side of Lance’s body. Lifting up a bit Keith studied Lance closely. His cheeks were slightly flushed and his hair curled slightly at the ends. He played a strand for a moment, and then dipped his head down so he could attach his lips to Lance’s neck.

He had never been the best with words, but he could adore Lance in other ways. One hand slid down Lance’s toned stomach and down to his hips. “I thought you said… you were going to let me rest today.” Lance’s hips twitched at the touch.

Keith looked through his lashes up at Lance. He was already red and trembling, and it kind of drove Keith crazy. He let his lips follow the trail his hands had started. One of Lance’s hands knotted in Keith’s hair and his body heated up. “So much for that… ah _fuck_.” Lance’s voice broke and Keith took that as a sign of encouragement.

His hands gripped at Lance’s thighs, and he swung on leg over his shoulder. One of Lance’s hands clung at the blankets on the bed and his eyes were clenched tightly closed. “Keith… come on give me a… break here.” Lance opened his eyes and looked a little desperately just at Keith.

“Well,” Keith kissed a path up Lance’s inner thigh, “This is one way of making you feel better.”

Lance chuckled, “You, really… _aahh,_ you really suck.”

Keith’s mouth was a little preoccupied so he just shrugged. He spent a long time coaxing little tremors out of Lance, appreciating how Lance’s face changed, the way his breathing hitched in and out of his chest. Keith flicked his tongue in the opposite direction and Lance gasped, back arching off the mattress. “ _Jesus_ Keith.”

Slowing down a bit Keith ran his free hand up Lance’s waist and across his beautiful chest. Lance grabbed that hand and brought it up to his lips, kissing Keith’s fingertips. “You’re killing me over here MCR.”

It wasn’t too long after that Lance came, shuddering and gasping, one hand knotted in Keith’s hair. “Come here…” Lance said weakly, pulling Keith in by the neck. Keith obliged and kissed Lance softly. When they separated Lance ran his fingers down the side of Keith’s face. “Resting, huh?”

Smirking Keith fell down on the bed, on his side so he was facing Lance. “Well, there is still plenty of time for that.” He accepted the blow to the face with a pillow, laughing merrily.

***

Later on that morning Keith was down in his kitchen, making some semblance of lunch. They had eventually made it down to the shower; Lance had helped wash Keith’s hair and gave a little back to Keith as well.

Lance was moving a bit easier on his swollen ankle, but Keith had insisted that he go back to bed and try to catch up on some sleep. He was still up in bed, completely passed out. Apparently he had been staying awake, he had nightmares when he slept. Luckily it seemed like he was sleeping fine now.

And of course Keith was extremely proud of Lance, this opportunity was everything. But Keith was going to be secretly glad when it was over. Then at least Lance could move on and this would stop tormenting him.

“You look like you’re brooding.” Lance’s voice sounded behind Keith.

Turning he found Lance standing barefoot in the living room, wearing only one of Keith’s shirts and those tiny dancer shorts. “Hey,” Keith gestured in front of him, “Brooding emo is the only thing I got going for me.” He grinned as Lance came to stand in his space, his head resting against one of Keith’s shoulders. “Feeling a bit better now?”

“Mhm.” Lance kissed Keith’s neck, “The video release party is tonight right?”

“Yeah… you don’t have to come if you aren’t feeling up to it.”

Lance scoffed, “As if I’d miss my boyfriends highly anticipated video release.”

“You wanna come?”

“Keith of course. This is a huge deal for you. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Lance pinched Keith’s cheek, “Its not like anxiety is a deadly illness. I’ll be fine. I promise.”

They watched one another for a moment, and then they were both grinning like idiots. “Sorry.” Keith kissed Lance’s forehead, “Didn’t mean to go all overprotective boyfriend on you.”

“I’m not saying I _don’t_ like it,” Lance’s voice was playful, “Just save it for the big stuff.”

Keith laughed and playfully nipped at Lance’s neck.

They spent most of the rest of the day lounging around, snacking, and making out lazily on the couch. Every once in a while Lance would get up and run through a course of simple stretches, rolling out his bad ankle, carefully testing it out. It made Keith nervous, but Lance knew his own body better.

“Lemme just try a pointe turn real quick,” Lance’s brow furrowed in concentration. He put all his weight on his right leg and spun around in three quick circles. The fourth rotation was much slower and Lance slowly faced front again. “Ok. That didn’t feel awful.” Hoping up and down a few times Lance grinned a bit.

“Just be careful…” Keith had been watching from the couch and he was nervous.

Lance sent a look Keith’s way but did another spin, “I’ll be ok.” His face darkened, “Now I just have to figure out this fucking dance.”

Keith thought for a moment. “What if…” His voice trailed off.

“What if what?” Lance was back on the floor, doing some stretches.

“What if you just, ignore everything you’ve already done?”

“What?” Lance’s head shot up, confused eyes met Keith’s.

“Hear me out babe.” Keith ran a hand through his hair, “You’re getting frustrated with it because you’ve overworked it. How about today you just… let it rest. Don’t listen to the song; don’t think about the part of the routine you don’t like. And tomorrow or maybe even a couple days from now, you can listen to the song again and just let things flow. Do what comes natural.”

Lance blinked. He didn’t say anything.

Grimacing a bit Keith went on, “I do that with my music sometimes. If I get stuck or frustrated I just leave. Get away from it all, clear my head.”

“Well.” Lance got up off the floor and folded himself into Keith’s lap, “That actually makes perfect sense MCR.”

“You think so?”

Nodding Lance replied, “That’s why I was getting so stuck in my own head yesterday. I was trying to fit an image that someone else expected of me. I wasn’t dancing because I liked it.” His eyes went dark, “But what if I can’t pull it off?”

Laughing a bit Keith nudged his nose into Lance’s cheek. “I’ve seen you dance. They’d be fools if they turned you down.”

“Maybe you should rethink your career choices,” Lance finally laughed and it was music to Keith’s ears, “Try being a weird motivational speaker with dubious intent.”

“Oh yeah?” Keith’s hands slipped up the back of Lance’s, well _his_ shirt, encompassing Lance’s gorgeous back. “What kind of dubious intent?”

Lance smirked; he got in close to Keith’s ear. “Lemme show you what I mean.”

***

Hours later Keith was in Shiro and Adam’s backyard, cold beer in hand. There were about 40 people milling around, and that was a lot considering Shrio’s backyard was tiny. A table sat near the sliding glass doors with refreshments and snacks waiting. Adam had lit up the fire pit and people were making s’mores and burning marshmallows. A massive white sheet had been pinned up to the fence towards the back of the yard, the projector set up on the roof. Adam had been pulling pillows and beanbags out of the garage to put on the grass in front of the “screen.”

Will was sitting up on the roof, getting everything set up. Keith was honestly rather excited. It had been a couple of years since the last time Page Ten had tried to release a video. And Keith had never felt more confident about a video before. That was mostly because of Lance.

Keith glanced around until he found Lance. His boyfriend was currently laughing at something Adam had said. It seemed to Keith that Adam had sort of adopted Lance. Adam’s arm was currently wrapped around Lance’s shoulders and Lance was looking up at him with admiration clearly written on his face. Adam was an interesting guy; he had a unique way of making the people around him feel secure and comforted.

Adam was clearly telling a story, his free hand gesturing dramatically in front of him. Lance sipped carefully at his sweet tea. Shiro had tried to convince Lance to have a little alcohol but Lance politely refused. He was still nervous about his audition. But he was at least up and walking. There was still a trace of a limp but Keith suspected that it was from the spots on his feet that had bled.

They met eyes suddenly and Lance smiled and it was full of mirth. They hadn’t gotten a lot accomplished earlier in the day but god they did have _a lot_ of sex. Lance had whispered something about his stamina, being that he was a dancer and all.

Keith slowly started to push through the crowd, trying to make his way to Lance. But he kept running into people that wanted to share a kind word or give a hug. At one point he looked up over the crowd and saw Lance elbowing Adam, and then they both laughed at his plight. Shiro suddenly appeared at Keith’s side. “Will gave us the thumbs up. You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Keith smiled politely at the girl that had been attached to his side. “Gotta go introduce the video now.” He shook her arm off and waved to Adam and Lance. On cue Will turned some of the floodlights off and the crowd murmured in anticipation.

Lance appeared at his side and Keith pressed a quick kiss into the side of his head. “You ready?” Lance asked as he looked up at Keith.

“I think so.” He sipped his beer, “I’m nervous to see their reactions. The song when over well but the video could be a different story.”

Lance’s eyes drifted up and down Keith’s frame. “Well,” His eyes moved back forward, “When they see you in that shirt I’m sure at least three people will leave pregnant.”

Choking a bit on his beer Keith gave Lance a look and the shorter man just laughed.

“Ok!” Adam bellowed, “Everyone shut up! Our wise leader has a few words to say!”

The crowd laughed and Keith stepped up in front of the screen. “Thanks for coming out tonight guys.” He let the crowd cheer a bit, “Most of y’all have probably heard our new song _Natural_. We’re really proud of it and it will be available on all music platforms tomorrow. Along with our new EP. Six songs and Adam managed to somehow play drums for all of them.” 

Adam threw a marshmallow at Keith’s head and everyone laughed. “Since we’ve been working on _Natural_ for so long we wanted to do a video as well. And Will, the asshole up on the roof, shot and cut it all together and honestly I gotta say, it looks pretty sick.”

“I had to Photoshop his face!” Will yelled down from the roof, “Should’ve picked a prettier lead singer Shiro!”

The crowd booed a bit and Shiro laughed, leaning in to kiss Adam’s cheek. Lance was standing a small distance away watching Keith proudly. But it didn’t feel right to have him so far away. Keith held out a hand in his direction and Lance hesitated. “So some quick thank yous,” Keith started quirking at brow at Lance, “Thanks to Shiro and Adam who put up with me bitching about this song for years. And thanks to Will and his genius behind the camera.” Lance finally took Keith’s hand and let Keith pull him to his side. “And thanks to Lance for coming in and saving this dumpster fire of a video.”

Lance blushed furiously and hid his face in Keith’s shoulder. A large number of people in the crowed “awed” at that. But when Keith looked up his met eyes with Rolo, and the blond man’s eyes were devoid of any emotion. “Ok. I’ve talked long enough. Here’s the video for _Natural._ ”

Cheering sounded off and echoed off in the buildings around Adam and Shiro’s house. Will killed the rest of the lights in the backyard and the only light came from the fire behind them and the streetlights a block over. Keith settled down on beanbag and pulled Lance down in front of him. The shorter man seemed to hesitate a bit but soon relaxed back into Keith’s chest.

Soon the “screen” lit up and _Natural_ pumped through the several speakers situated around the backyard. The video started up with a close up on Adam’s face and as he beat his drumsticks to the beat the camera panned out to show the rest of the band. Keith grimaced a bit whenever the camera spent too long on his face. It felt like he was watching a completely different person.

One of Keith’s arms was wrapped around Lance’s waist and Lance weaved his fingers through Keith’s, giving them a light squeeze. Keith pressed his nose into Lance’s hair, anticipating the moment Lance would finally come onto the screen. And as the second chorus ended the lighting in the video changed and Lance gracefully danced his way across the screen.

Lance pushed back deeper into Keith’s arms, almost as if he were trying to hide. But Keith’s eyes were fixed to the screen. He had seen countless cuts of this video and watched the final cut just a few days ago, but it was completely different when it was nearly ten feet tall.

The rest of the crowd was similarly entranced. The way Lance’s body moved was almost hypnotic. Will was right to have used only two cameras. The way the minimal lighting cast shadows around Lance made it seem as if he were floating.

He heard a couple of people actively gasp out loud when Keith came on screen again. The two lifts he and Lance did looked fucking incredible. Will managed to catch the searing looks the two had shared. It seemed weird to Keith now. They hadn’t been dating at that point, but they were both clearly hiding their feelings from one another. Looking back at it Keith felt a little stupid. If only he had confessed sooner. Adam bumped Keith’s elbow and waggled his eyebrows and Keith rolled his eyes. But he was grateful it was dark enough out that no one could see his blush.

Lance’s portion of the video ended and the rest of the band came back on screen for the final chorus. The song ripped to a close and the crowd in the backyard got to their feet and cheered and clapped. The band got up in front of the screen and took a few bows and Keith yanked Lance up so he could get the round of applause he so rightfully deserved. Lance took it a bit awkwardly, clinging desperately to Keith’s hand the entire time. Will set everything up so the video would play on loop on the screen.

Lance roped Adam into taking a picture of he and Keith with the video playing behind them, the light of the projector casting colored shadows over their faces. “Thanks.” Lance said softly, staying close to Keith’s side. A few people came up and gushed to Lance about his dancing. He just smiled politely through all of it and gave a “Thank you.”

Watching quietly Keith pulled Lance aside. “You ok?”

He nodded tightly. “I just…” Lance shrugged, “I don’t take compliments very well. It’s a weird thing. Kinda makes me anxious.”

Keith watched Lance carefully and then kissed his forehead gently. “Ok. We can try to avoid people. Or we can just leave.”

“No.” Lance poked Keith’s side, “Its your party. We’re staying. Luckily I can avoid people pretty well.”

Laughing Keith hugged Lance tightly, not caring that everyone in the party was watching. “Can I kiss you?” He whispered in Lance’s ear.

Getting up on his tiptoes Lance took initiative and kissed him first. “I’m really starting to like you MCR.”

“Well,” Keith smiled helpless down at the man in his arms, “How can I resist a hot dancer?” Lance’s laughter bubbled out of his mouth and he punched Keith in the arm, and then moved back into the party.

When Keith looked up he saw Rolo take a last swig of beer, roughly throw the bottle in the trash and stalk out of the backyard. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, I meant to get this chapter up sooner, but my dog lost her battle with cancer yesterday. Finishing up this chapter was a good way to take my mind off of things. I hope to have the next one up soon. 
> 
> COMFORTING KEITH. HELP THAT STRESSED BOY CALM DOWN. Also Lance is finally getting some of the praise he deserves! 
> 
> Peep that jealous Rolo coming in HAWT


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Throws chapter on table then sprints off in opposite direction

**Lance**

“I’m not sure…” He picked at the sweater he was wearing, “What if this doesn’t work?”

Keith smiled reassuringly, “Just try it once? Nothing is impossible.”

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath Lance nodded. He and Keith were over at the building where Lance taught dance lessons. The boss really liked Lance so he let Lance use the buildings on off days sometimes. And if Lance was truly going to get this audition piece down he wanted more privacy.

Allura had offered her own studio in her apartment but Lance had turned her down. Lotor had basically moved in and Lance didn’t know if he could manage seeing the competition or not.

So Keith had offered up a solution. He told Lance not to listen to the song for a full day and Lance had done that. And now Keith wanted Lance to close his eyes and just… move. It was terrifying to sit here and just hope things came to him, but Lance trusted Keith. So he was going to give this a try.

“Ready?” Keith asked softly.

He nodded tightly again. “Yeah.” He hoped up and down on his feet a couple of times, “Ok lets do this.”

Lance knew the layout of this space like the back of his hand, so he wasn’t worried about bumping into anything. He knew he was in the center of the floor and Keith was to his right. The wall of mirrors was in front of him. And he was in first position.

As the beat of the song kicked in Lance pushed all his failed attempts from his mind. It wouldn’t do him again good to dwell on the things that made him anxious or feel less than. For him dance was all about the movement, the fluidity. So he let his body move the way the music felt.

Fluid, sexy. He planted his right foot on the ground and slowly raised his left leg into the air until his legs were vertical. Spinning slowly in that position he let his arms drift toward the floor and then back up again. The temptation to open his eyes grew by the second but he fought it. He didn’t want to disappoint Keith.

The song was coming toward the middle now and Keith had really kicked up the base line in this portion. Lance leapt into the air, flying into a split. He landed down on one leg, and then spun around and did some leg work on the floor before coming back up again.

As the song went on Lance realized he was actually feeling pretty good. He couldn’t see what he was doing of course, but then again that was the whole point. But he wasn’t regretting every move like he had been the other day. As the song came to an end Lance melted down to the floor, and then stopped breathing hard. His eyes fluttered open and he looked over at Keith. His dark blue eyes were open wide. “Was it that bad?” Lance asked, sitting up slowly.

Keith started to shake his head, “No. Absolutely not. That was fucking incredible.”

“Seriously?” Lance massaged his right ankle. It still stung a bit when he put too much weight on it but it felt a lot better. Keith had been insistent on using cold packs and putting icy hot on it. It was actually kind of adorable to watch a guy well over six feet and covered in tattoos worrying over a twisted ankle.

“I recorded it.” Keith got up off the floor and came over to Lance’s side, “Just in case you wanted to watch it back.”

Lance kissed Keith’s cheek quickly, “You’re the best.”

Blushing a bit Keith handed Lance his phone. He hit play on the video and watched himself. And it looked pretty damn good. It was obvious Lance had been feeling the music. The moves he did made a lot more sense with the song, it almost looked like he was telling a story. There were a few bits that looked a tad awkward but they would be easy fixes.

“That’s not half bad.” Lance said after the video ended.

Keith quirked a brow, “Are you kidding me? That was some of the sexiest shit I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re fucking me.”

Laughing Keith ran a hand through Lance’s hair, gently squeezing the back of Lance’s head. “See? I told you that you could do it.”

Lance rolled his eyes a bit, but his heart leapt at the praise. “Turns out your weird bullshit methods work.” Lance got up, “I wanna try it again.”

Keith nodded slowly, “Do you want to drink some water? I don’t want you to overdo it.”

“Keith,” Lance pulled his chin up and kissed Keith softly, “I’m ok. Its not gunna be like last time. I promise.”

“Ok sorry. I know I’m being a little overbearing.”

“Maybe a bit.” Lance got back in his starting position, “But it’s kinda nice. Mind starting the music again?”

***

A glass of champagne was pressed into Lance’s hand even as he tried to refuse it. “But today is a special day!” The tiny woman in black chirped. Lance looked pleadingly at Allura but she just laughed and sipped at her own glass.

Melenor, Allura’s mother, slipped her arm through the crook of Lance’s elbow and patted his arm comfortingly. “I’m glad you came dear.”

“I do feel a bit awkward,” Lance said in hushed tones, “Isn’t it supposed to be bad luck or something if a guy is here?”

The attendant heard Lance and laughed too loudly. “Its no problem! We love the gay ones here!”

Wincing Lance put the champagne flute on a nearby table. Allura looked like she was about to correct the attendant but Lance shook his head. It didn’t make sense to try and correct the bubbly woman. Besides, she was already dragging Allura away toward a sea of white.

Allura talked Lance into coming wedding dress shopping. Lance had tried to refuse but Allura and Melenor insisted. “It wouldn’t be the same without you dear.” Melenor had said in the car ride over, “Anyhow, you are Allura’s Man of Honor. We both want you there.”

“I don’t trust anyone else’s opinions anyway.” Allura quipped from her phone screen. She was only going to be away from Lotor for a few hours but they had been texting nonstop. They had hardly been away from one another since the engagement.

Lance watched now as Allura touched and judged dress after dress. He knew her well, she was going to be picky as shit. Wandering away from Melenor Lance went into a room towards the back of the boutique. It seemed like a lot of the dresses back here had been neglected.

He felt extremely out of his depth. Allura said she trusted his opinion but Lance wasn’t sure he had much to offer. But he did know what Allura liked, so maybe that would help to steer her in the right direction. The attendant rushed pass, several dresses over her shoulder. “Oh, we aren’t going to look in this room,” She started.

  
Allura was close behind her and paused. “No, its fine.” She came up beside Lance and quirked a brow, “Do you see anything you like?”

His eyes flicked over the mass of dresses and walked a bit further into the room. There was one dress that caught his eye when he first walked in. He pulled the bag out and ran a hand down the simple lace design. Allura was beside him and she titled her head. “Really? This one?”

Lance nodded, “You don’t have to try it on but…”

Melenor’s eyes flicked to another attendant, “Bring that one back to the fitting room as well.”

The young attendant quickly obeyed. Melenor might seem opposing to those that didn’t know her, but she was practically like another mother to Lance. She was kind, gentle and unwavering. Melenor smiled gently at Lance and then offered her hand to him. Two attendants disappeared with Allura and another lead Melenor and Lance to another area of the boutique.

They sat down on a couch and waited for Allura to come out in her first pick. Lance got out his phone and found a message from Keith.

_How’s the dress shopping going?_ 10:43 A.M.

He grinned a bit and fired off a quick reply. Melenor patted his knee and smiled, “You look happy.”

A blush crept onto Lance’s cheeks. “I’ve been seeing someone lately.”

“Oh,” Her smile grew, “That’s just lovely dear.”

Shrugging a bit Lance picked at his skinny jeans, “He’s really great.”

“What is his name?”

“Keith,” Lance glanced over at her, “He’s in a band.”

Melenor raised both brows, grinning happily at the younger man. “I am assuming you have pictures.”

Lance was already on his phone and pulled up his Instagram. He had posted the first picture of he and Keith together, the one from the video release party. Melenor took Lance’s phone and looked at the screen carefully.

That night Keith had been wearing black skinny jeans with holes in the knees, black vans and that stupidly beautiful shirt from the _Natural_ video. Lance had put his hair up in an artfully sloppy bun. Lance had been in black skinny jeans as well, but his shirt was white with the smallest of red flowers. They contrasted beautifully with one another and the lighting in the picture made them look dark and mysterious.

Melenor smiled softly and handed the phone back. “I don’t know about those tattoos,” She started, “But you two look beautiful together.”

“Thanks.” Lance blushed again. He’d gotten quite a reaction to that picture. Pidge and Hunk had gotten into a comment war, seeing who could come up with the dirtiest joke. A bunch of Page Ten fans had found Lance’s account because he had tagged the band and Keith in the picture. A bunch of people gushed over his dancing in the video, saying he was a genius.

“How did you two meet?”

“Sort of by accident.” Lance showed Melenor some other photos. Keith didn’t like pictures but Lance ambushed him with selfies more often than not. The picture Melenor was looking at now was the day after the video release party. It had been raining and Lance dragged Keith out for a quick walk. Keith had been leaning his elbows against a railing and Keith’s arms pinned Lance in. Lance had turned and planted a kiss on Keith’s cheek. The taller man was grinning ear to ear and to Lance he had never looked more beautiful. “He’s really amazing.”

Melenor was watching him carefully. “I am truly happy for you my dear.” She folded her hands in her lap, “I know… that at one point in time you did truly love my daughter. A part of me was hopeful that she might see sense and come to be with you.”

Swallowing tightly Lance looked at the floor. Melenor continued, “But over the years I saw the way you two were with one another. You have a close bond that no one can ruin. I consider you a son.”

Looking up sharply Lance blinked. “You don’t…”

She patted his hand and smiled, “Don’t worry. We needn’t tell Allura.” She tapped a finger to her mouth. Allura was coming out in her first pick. It was a ridiculous ball gown, almost too big for her to walk properly in.

Allura rejected the next three dresses as well. Just as Lance predicted, she was being extremely picky. She was currently standing in front of a massive mirror, tapping a delicate finger against her chin. “There is something truly off about this one.” Spinning but keeping her eyes on her reflection she picked at the large flower on her left shoulder, “It seems… childish.”

The poor attendant looked at Allura wearily. This could be a long morning. Lance hadn’t said much; he truly didn’t know a whole lot about dresses. But what he did know is that none of the dresses Allura had tried on looked right on her.

“Try on Lance’s pick my love.” Melenor sipped at her glass of orange juice, “It is different from all the others. It might help clear your head.”

Allura’s phone buzzed nosily on the couch and she looked at it a little desperately. Lance rolled his eyes and collapsed back on the couch. “Shouldn’t Lotor be practicing? The audition is tomorrow after all.” Lance tried to keep his voice even.

“Lance is right.” Melenor winked at him, “The both of you can go several hours without speaking to one another.”

“But Lance has been sitting there texting Keith all morning!” Allura protested. Blushing Lance shoved his phone back in his pocket. “So why should I try on Lance’s dress?”

Melenor sighed mightily, “I swear I’m dealing with arrogant teenagers and not adults.” A smile slipped onto her face, “Come love, try the dress on. You haven’t been having any luck with the ones you chose.”

“Fine.” Allura huffed and marched back to her dressing room. The attendant picked at her cuticles and followed behind quickly.

“Are you prepared for the audition as well?” Melenor looked carefully at Lance, “Lotor hasn’t slept much the past days. He and Allura are supposed to take their engagement photos this weekend. We can’t have him with dark circles!”

Forcing a laugh Lance tried to ignore just how nervous he was. Keith had helped him to nail down a really solid routine but Lance didn’t think he was good enough. “I um, I’m nervous.” Lance sat cross-legged on the couch, picking at the skin around his thumb. “But I’m going to try.”

“That’s the proper attitude to have my boy. Oh! Here she comes…”

Allura walked slowly out from her dressing room, looking at the floor. Melenor gasped and covered her mouth. Lance sat up a bit straighter, watching carefully for Allura’s reaction. The attendant helped Allura onto the pedestal and helped her to face the mirror. Her eyes widened as she took in her [reflection.](https://www.maggiesottero.com/sottero-and-midgley/dennison/11848) The dress was simple, mostly lace with a line of buttons trailing down the center. It had a reasonable V-neck and long sleeves. It clung tightly to Allura’s trim form and her eyes were glued to her reflection.

“Oh my love…” Melenor took a Kleenex from the table next to the couch, “You look stunning.”

“You think so?” Allura’s voice was soft, happy.

“You look like a princess.” Allura’s mother wiped her eyes and smiled. “What do you think Lance?”

Lance met Allura’s eyes in the mirror, “You look stunning Lura. Truly.”

“Its…” Allura was actually speechless.

“Shall I go fetch some veils?” The attendant asked quietly, “They help to add that final spark to the look.”

Allura just nodded, swaying back and forth carefully. Two attendants rushed off in search of some veils, leaving the trio alone. “I can’t believe you picked this one out Lance.” Allura was smiling a bit wetly.

He shrugged, “You said you wanted me along because you trust my opinion.” But he was smiling too. It all became frighteningly real. His best friend was getting _married._ The entire engagement had seemed a little too good to be true, like Lotor and Allura were just playing an elaborate prank.

But no, this was going to happen. Allura was picking out her fucking wedding dress. The ceremony was in about two months time. That was another factor Lance couldn’t quite believe, they were getting married right before Christmas. Apparently Alfor and Melenor found the best wedding planner in the world and she guaranteed she could get everything ready that quickly.

So it was kind of vital that Lura found her dress today and as Lance watched the first veil go on he knew that they wouldn’t need to look anywhere else.

The attendants quickly styled Allura’s hair into an up do and put a simple crown at the top of her head. To that they attached a lace veil that flowed in perfectly with the dress. Allura covered her mouth with her hands and fought off a wave of tears. Melenor was full on crying now. Lance just smiled stupidly at his friend.

“So, what do you think?” The attendant asked as she handed Allura a Kleenex.

Allura blinked a few times, delicately wiping her eyes, “I can’t believe I’m going to walk down the isle in a dress Lance picked out.”

The group went silent and then Lance laughed. “Seriously? You like this one the best?”

She rolled her eyes and spun around to face Lance, “What can I say? You know what I look good in.”

“Babe.” Lance got up and pulled his best friend into a tight hug, “You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you.” Allura returned the hug, burying her face in his shoulder, “I’m getting married. That’s a thing that is going happen.”

Lance stepped back to let Melenor hug her daughter. They shared some private moments and Lance sat back on the couch, discreetly checking his phone.

_How much longer is Allura going to force you to look at dresses? I miss you_ 11:30 A.M.

_I have to go to lunch with them after this…_ 11:35 A.M.

_Ugh seriously?_ 11:36 A.M.

“Lance!” Allura’s voice held a tinge of amusement, “I’m having my bride moment and you’re texting your stupid boyfriend?”

Lance dropped his phone on the couch and blushed, running a hand over the back of his neck, “Sorry.”

Melenor smiled gently, “Perhaps we could reschedule lunch. Lotor has also been texting _you_ nonstop.” She lightly slapped Allura’s arm, “You children and your relationships.”

“Wait,” Lance looked up at Allura, “So this is _the_ dress? Seriously?”

Allura rolled her eyes, “Yes! You missed that when you were texting Keith!”

“Congrats babe.” Lance grabbed one of her hands and kissed it gently, “Lotor is gunna ascend to another dimension.”

Melenor and Allura started to go over some of the finer details and Lance got his phone back out.

_I got let out of Man of Honor duties_ 12:00 P.M.

_Want me to come get you?_ 12:02 P.M.

_Please. The ladies that work here won’t leave me alone. They tried to offer me a job_ 12:03 P.M.

_I’ll be there in a few minutes_ 12:04 P.M.

Allura took a couple of pictures in her dress to send to her father and other bridesmaid. She only had two people in her wedding party, Lance and her friend Acxa. Lotor’s best man was his friend Antok and his other attendant was a guy all three of them knew, Bandor. He was a quiet guy that was in a lot of their dance classes. While he was shy and a bit awkward he and Lotor made fast friends.

Overall it was going to be a small wedding, but Lance knew it was going to be beautiful. In the distance he heard the rev of a motorcycle engine and smirked a bit. Allura had come back out of her dressing room, back in the cute little pink dress she had worn to the boutique. She heard the motorcycle as well and gave Lance a long-suffering look. “He had a motorcycle?”

“Of course he does.” Lance quickly kissed Melenor on the cheek and hugged Allura tightly. “Congrats again. Tell Lotor I’m ready to kick his ass at the audition tomorrow.”

“I’m not so sure,” Allura puffed a bit in defense of her fiancé, “But I do wish you luck.”

Keith pulled up across the street, taking his helmet off and shaking out his hair. He squinted up at the sky and Lance couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll see you ladies this weekend.”

“Ah yes.” Allura groaned, “More wedding planning!”

An attendant handed Lance his jacket and he nodded, “Bye!” He waved over his shoulder and rushed outside. “Keith!” He called.

His boyfriend looked in his direction and grinned. Lance looked both ways and loped across the street, throwing himself into Keith’s arms. “Hi.” He breathed in that signature Keith smell, mint and that slight edge of metal.

“Hey.” Keith ran a hand over the back of Lance’s head, “How was it?”

“Kind of boring. But Lura found her dress.” Lance let Keith kiss him, loving how familiar but exciting it still was, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Keith’s dimple made a rare appearance as he smiled brightly.

“God you two are insufferable!” Allura yelled from across the street.

Melenor smacked her daughter upside the head, “A little decorum love.”

Lance laughed and waved. “They have a _limo_?” Keith asked in disbelief.

“Of course. Allura’s dad is loaded.”

“Hm. Maybe you should marry her instead then.” Keith was teasing but Lance knew him well enough to know that a tiny bit of him was serious.

“Hey now.” Lance took Keith’s face in both his hands, “Don’t say things like that. Its you I want, alright?” He kissed Keith’s forehead and grabbed his helmet off the back of the bike. “Now lets go get some lunch. I’m fucking starving.”

Keith was blushing the lightest shade of pink and Lance winked, hoping on the back of the bike. “Let’s go MCR.”

***

The next day Lance sat outside one of the studios on the first floor of the dance building. Lotor was in the studio, finishing up his own audition. _Pointe_ had sent a representative to watch the auditions in person, but it was also going to be filmed from several angles. Once the audition was over he and Lotor would have to wait for several weeks to hear the results.

The other college students across the country were filming their auditions today too. Lance was grateful that the audition would soon be over. But the weeks of waiting would most likely kill him.

A hand slipped into his own and Lance glanced up sharply. Keith offered a small smile and lifted Lance’s hand to his lips. He kissed all of Lances fingers carefully. “You got this babe.”

Lance laughed a bit tightly. He was wound so tight he was surprised he didn’t explode. Sure he had done countless auditions before but he had never been this nervous. “I’m just trying to mentally prepare myself… just in case I fuck up.”

“Hey now.” Keith pulled Lance close, resting his chin on Lance’s shoulder. “Don’t think like that. Not right now. You deserve to be here, in this time and place. You’ve worked your ass off for years. They chose you because they know how special you are.”

Lance closed his eyes and let out a long breathe, “Yeah, yeah ok. I can do this.”

Allura appeared from around the corner and smiled at Lance. “Is he almost done?”

“Should be done soon.” Lance leaned a bit further back into Keith’s arms, “I thought you were busy.”

“I lied. Wanted to surprise him.” Allura smiled at Keith, “Good to see you here.”

The two smiled at each other and Lance felt the air grow a bit awkward. It was weird to have the object of his former and current loves in the same place. His heart stuttered a bit. There he went again, using the L word when it came to Keith. Stumbling over his own thoughts and feelings Lance stood up quickly, pacing back and forth a bit.

“Lance?” Keith asked, “You ok?”

“Yeah.” He did his standard hoping up and down, trying to shake some nervous energy. “Just trying to keep my muscles warm.”

The door to the studio opened and Lotor came out, looking a bit drained. Allura moved immediately to his side, touching his cheek. “Are you alright?”

Lotor smiled down at Allura, a smile he reserved just for her. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just exhausted. I’m glad its over.” Looking over at Lance he nodded tightly, “Good luck McClain.”

“Thanks.”

He was wrapped in a tight hug and Lance closed his eyes, letting Keith’s warmth soothe his worries. “Good luck. I’ll be waiting right here.”

Lance kissed Keith quickly and nodded. Without another thought he went into the studio, closing the door behind him.

“Lance McClain?” The representative asked curtly.

He nodded, not sure what else to do.

The representative smiled a bit, “If you need to you can stretch out a bit before we begin.”

“Thank you.” Lance moved to the center of the floor and did a few simple stretches. Frankly he had been stretched out all day, he had too much nervous energy. The representative watched him carefully the whole time and Lance felt like every nerve ending he had was on fire. “I, uh. I’m ready.”

The representative nodded and jotted a few things down on her clipboard. Then she moved to each one of the video cameras, making sure they were all recording. “All right. Whenever you are ready Mr. McClain.”

Taking one last deep breathe Lance got in his starting position, then nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YEET. Mayphaps a small time jump is in our future


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TIME SKIP AHOY

**Keith**

**Two Months Later**

“Do I seriously have to wear a _tux_?”

An exasperated sigh sounded from the other side of the apartment. “Babe. I have taken issue with that statement for several reasons.” Lance held up one finger, “First of all, it’s a black tie event, so yes you have to wear a tux.” Another finger joined the first, “Second you look hot as fuck in it. So _yes_ you have to wear it.”

Keith groaned and let his head fall back against his couch. “How long do I have to wear the tux?”

“The whole time you stubborn dipshit!” But there was a happy twinge in Lance’s voice.

Allura and Lotor were getting married this weekend. Lance was bringing Keith as his plus one. Apparently this was _the_ wedding event of the season. Keith still didn’t know a whole lot about Allura and her family, but apparently Alfor Voltron owned a very successful electronics business. Well electronics kingdom. Lotor’s family ran in the same circle, but his father wasn’t quite as successful as Alfor. It was going to be a small wedding but the best of the best would be there. Along with Keith.

Lance collapsed on the couch next to Keith and kissed his cheek. “You’re cute when you’re stubborn.”

Turning his head so he could see Lance the taller man smiled. They had been together for about three months now. And they had been the best three months of Keith’s life. Lance was so incredible; it was hard for Keith to keep up. But Lance would always say the same thing back to Keith. “Tell me again why you chose me as your plus one?”

Sighing again Lance lightly punched Keith’s shoulder, “Because you are my insanely hot boyfriend and I don’t want to be stuck with a bunch of electronic society hippies by myself all weekend?”

Keith smiled a bit bigger, “Valid point.”

Lance laid his head down in Keith’s lap and played with a lock of Keith’s hair. “What time is our flight again?”

“7 A.M. tomorrow.” Keith closed his eyes as Lance continued to play with his hair, “And remind me again why we have to fly out at 7 in the fucking morning?”

“Allura is anal about this shit.” Lance laughed a bit, “And I’m her man of honor so I have to help handle her.”

The wedding was going to be in Seattle, in honor of where the happy couple got engaged. Keith loved Seattle, don’t get him wrong, but he wished he could enjoy the city without all the other bullshit. It was also a week before Christmas and Lance and Keith had decided to stay behind in Seattle and spend their first Christmas together in the city. Apparently Lance’s family was not pleased with this choice but Lance said it was about time he spend a holiday or two away from his family.

“Do we have everything packed?” Keith asked.

“Yep. I’ve tripled checked at this point.” Lance sounded tired, “I am excited for Lura though.”

“Sounds like this weekend could either spell disaster or eternal happiness.”

Lance scoffed a bit, clearly amused, “Don’t worry, the upper society gods have smiled upon this union. They will be forever blessed.”

Keith laughed along with his boyfriend. God the feelings he had for this man almost couldn’t be contained. His life had gotten infinitely better since Lance had become a part of it. He had written an _embarrassingly_ large number of love songs all about his ridiculous boyfriend. Page Ten had recorded some in studio already and released on their Youtube page. The reactions had been intensely positive.

“Hey.” Lance said.

Quirking a brow Keith opened his eyes, “What?”

“Kiss me.” Lance demanded.

A smile nearly split open his face, “Fine.” He leaned over and kissed Lance softly. Lance’s hand threaded in the back of Keith’s hair and held him against his lips. The angle was a bit awkward so Keith carefully lifted Lance up onto his lap. The kissing was slow and hot and Keith let himself get lost in the sensations.

His lips left Lance’s and he nipped along Lance’s gorgeous jawline and down to his neck. Lance giggled a bit, his hands winding through Keith’s hair. “Much as I’d love for you to continue I can’t really show up for Lura’s wedding with a hickey.”

Groaning into his boyfriends neck Keith pulled back and tugged on Lance’s hair. “Well you did start it.”

Lance was laughing fully now, “I do love to tease you.”

Lance’s hair had gotten longer in the three months they had been dating. Keith kept convincing Lance to put off his haircuts. He looked stunning with longer hair.

Getting off Keith’s lap Lance cracked his neck and rolled out his toes. Keith had noticed that Lance did those things almost on autopilot. He supposed years of dance formed those habits. Lance tapped on a picture frame near Keith’s door and groaned. “Did you really have to frame that?”

“Uh, yes?” Keith smirked a bit, “My boyfriend got on the cover of _Pointe._ Of course I was going to frame at least one issue.”

Blushing Lance replied, “You framed a copy and you have three on your desk.”

Keith got up and caught Lance in his arms and kissed him, “I can’t help but be proud of you.”

Lance was smiling up at him and Keith felt his heart throb.

A month after the audition for _Pointe_ Lance got the email he had been dreading and anticipating at the same time. He had gotten it. Lance completely nailed his audition. Apparently it had been a nearly unanimous choice.

So Lance had gotten to film a short Youtube series about his past dance experience and he had recorded several “classes” that would also go up on Youtube soon. That and he had gotten his cover moment on several physical copies of _Pointe_ as well. The issue that Keith had framed was his favorite. He was in the shirt Keith had worn in the _Natural_ video and those sexy fucking dance shorts.

Other issues had Lance in traditional ballet garb and more natural street clothes. Lance had interviewed with the _Pointe_ crew and that interview was in physical copies of the magazine as well as on their blog.

While Lance had been ecstatic about being chosen he avoided seeing Lotor in person for about a week. Allura had finally cornered Lance and forced the two boys to talk it all out. She said it was so her wedding wouldn’t be awkward. But truly she wanted her best friend and fiancé to get along. They were such large parts in her life.

Lance had already gotten several offers from big name music schools, asking if he wanted to teach after he graduated. Lance was taking all the attention in stride. It made him a little uncomfortable but Keith was so fucking proud he felt like he might burst.

The shorter man got up on his tiptoes and nudged his nose along Keith’s jawline. “Have I mentioned lately that I like you?”

“Hm. Not for at _least_ an hour.” Keith smirked and titled his head, letting Lance have better access to his jaw. Lance’s lips opened up and bit softly at Keith’s earlobe. Lance had talked Keith into wearing an earring in his left ear again. Said it helped with his “image” whatever that meant.

“Hm…” Keith hummed a bit when one of Lance’s hands slipped up the back of his shirt. “It’s late and we have a flight at the ass crack of dawn.” He said reluctantly.

Lance sighed and relaxed back onto the balls of his feet. “You are _no_ fun today.” He whined a bit.

“Wouldn’t want you to look sleepy in all the pictures you are bound to take.” Keith stroked some hair behind Lance’s ear, “We should get to bed.”

“God fine.” Lance climbed up into Keith’s loft and stripped off his shirt and pants. Keith quickly followed suit, pulling Lance down onto the bed with him.

Lance had all but moved in with Keith in the recent weeks. There were little touches of Lance everywhere Keith looked. His shoes were by the door, his dance bag on its side, a pointe shoe sticking out of one of the pockets. One of his jackets was on the back of Keith’s desk chair. Lance had brought over a little blender so he could make his weird protein shakes before his practices. Keith’s fridge was full of food for seemingly the first time since he had moved in. Lance had a bunch of clothes that he kept in a special cabinet Keith had cleaned out for just that purpose.

And both of their suitcases sat on the floor next to the door, ready for the morning. It was domestic and it was stupid just how happy it made Keith.

Keith rolled onto his back and Lance nestled into his side. Keith ran a hand up and down Lance’s back, a gesture he had found comforted Lance as he fell asleep. Lance’s fingers danced lightly over the tattoos on Keith’s chest. “I can’t believe my best friend is getting married this weekend.” Lance whispered.

He looked down at the brunette. “I can’t imagine. Shiro and Adam haven’t even started planning their wedding yet.”

Lance’s eyes drifted up to Keith’s, “That’s because they can’t stop arguing over who gets you as best man.”

Rolling his eyes Keith smirked, “Of course I’ll be Shiro’s. I love Adam but Shiro is basically my brother.” Something bubbled up in his throat but he ignored it, he had been getting weirdly sentimental lately. “Besides it took them long enough to get engaged, it could be years before they ever get their acts together and get married.”

Lance laughed softly. “I don’t know about that… Adam seems pretty determined.”

The pair fell silent, the only sound in the studio being the heat kicking on. Keith brought the blankets up closer then leaned over to check his phone to make sure he had an alarm set. “No one should ever have to wake up at 5 A.M. for any reason.” He groaned.

“God, you are such a baby,” Lance kissed Keith’s chest, “You can sleep on the plane.”

“Its like an hour and half flight!”

Lance grabbed a pillow and smacked it down on Keith’s face, “Then sleep at the hotel later, you little bitch.” There was a smile in his voice. Keith threw the pillow down toward the edge of the bed. The longer they dated the more sass Keith received from his boyfriend. Not that he was complaining. “Go to sleep,” Lance murmured softly, “Got a long day tomorrow.”

***

When Keith’s alarm went off the next morning he groaned loudly in protest. Lance on the other hand sat up, stretched and hoped out of bed. “Why are you like this?” Keith mumbled into his pillow.

“Dancer life style my dear emo. I’ve had call times earlier than this.” Lance threw a shirt in Keith’s direction, “Get up lazy bones. We have places to be.”

“Five more minutes…”

“Absolutely not!” Lance tackled Keith and kissed his eyes. “If we miss our flight because _you_ didn’t want to get out of bed I’ll let Allura take all her wrath out on you.”

Groaning again Keith opened his eyes and glared up at his boyfriend, “You should have led with that.” He sat up, taking Lance with him.

Lance laughed merrily and kissed Keith, on the lips this time. “If you get dressed and brush your teeth I promise I’ll have the best cup of coffee ready.” He tried to run a hand through the rats nest Keith called hair, “And I’ll try to make that look presentable.”

“Lance no one is going to care what my hair looks like at 6 A.M. in an airport.”

Lance feigned hurt, putting a hand on his heart, “ _I_ care!”

Keith couldn’t help but smile, “You are ridiculous.”

“So you tell me.”

They spent the next thirty minutes flying around Keith’s apartment, triple checking they had absolutely everything they needed. As promised Lance made Keith a killer cup of coffee and around 5:45 Lance said the Uber had arrived.

Keith was still extremely grouchy as he trudged down the stairs and outside. He couldn’t remember the last time he was up this early. Of course he had gotten home this late from things recently, but no one should have to function before the fucking sun was up in the sky.

Lance cheerily greeted the Uber driver and helped Keith load all the luggage into the back of the car. Keith felt a little weird for bringing this much stuff, about 80% of it was for the wedding. For the rest of the time he and Lance would be in Seattle he would be wearing his usual shit, t-shirts and skinny jeans.

As soon as they were settled in the car Keith leaned his head against Lance’s shoulder and closed his eyes. They were going to fly out of Oakland International, so they had about a twenty or so minute drive. The traffic wasn’t bad at this hour so they were making pretty good time. Lance weaved his fingers through Keith’s and gently stroked his thumb across Keith’s knuckles.

They arrived at the airport all too quickly and Keith numbly followed Lance through security and to their gate. Every other passenger looked just as exhausted as Keith. But surprisingly Allura and her parents weren’t there yet. Lance checked the time on his phone and fired off a quick text. They were a little early; it was around 6:30. But they board in about thirty minutes.

“I’m surprised Allura didn’t sleep here.” Keith tried to joke, Lance looked nervous.

Rolling his eyes Lance checked his phone again.

Just then they both heard a frantic voice and two significantly more calm ones. Allura came rushing around the corner, and visibly relaxed when she saw Lance. “Hey!” Her voice sounded a bit strained. Keith could practically feel the stress riding off of her in waves. Lance stood and allowed Allura to crash into his arms for a hug, “Sorry we’re late. I couldn’t find my shoes.”

Allura’s mother sighed heavily and collapsed in the seat across from Keith. Granted his interactions with the woman had been limited but this was as shabby as Keith had ever seen her dressed. She looked up at Keith and smiled cordially. “You must be Keith.” She sat up and offered a delicate hand to him, “I’m Melenor. Allura’s mother. This is my husband, Alfor.”

Keith shook Melenor’s hand and stood up to shake the older mans hand. Alfor smiled, “Good to meet you.”

Allura was still frantically talking to Lance, gesturing with her hands. Lance looked down at her with a sympathetic expression, nodding every once in a while. “We apologize for our daughters erratic behavior,” Alfor smiled and tapped his daughter on the shoulder, “Come sit down love.”

“Dad, I was just telling Lance about how we are going to do my hair tomorrow!”

Lance met Keith’s eyes over Allura’s head and grimaced a bit. Keith hid his smirk behind his disposable coffee cup. Sitting back down next to him Lance leaned in close to Keith’s ear, “She was 100% actually talking about some new wild sex thing she wants to try with Lotor.”

Choking a bit on his coffee Keith lightly pushed on Lance’s arm. “Give me a little warning next time, _Jesus_.”

Laughing quietly Lance crossed his legs underneath him and pulled out his phone, idly scrolling through Instagram. Keith watched him carefully, admiring the way Lance’s eyelashes curled at the ends and tangled together. A lock of his hair slipped onto his forehead and Keith fought the urge to stroke it back into place. Keith noticed he had been staring a bit too long and looked away, meeting eyes with Allura. She smiled at him and if Keith wasn’t imagining things he detected a hint of gratitude in her eyes.

Forty minutes later they were up in the sky, heading for Seattle. 

***

The next day Keith stood awkwardly in his tux, waiting for Lance to make his appearance. Lotor stood expectantly up near his father; Zarkon was going to officiate the ceremony.

Keith wasn’t important enough to either one of the families to be seated up near the front so he found himself near some of the other less important guests. A woman standing next to Keith elbowed him and whispered, “Never seen you around this crowd before.”

Smirking he whispered back, “My boyfriend is the Man of Honor.”

“Oh.” Her smile grew, “So _you’re_ the mysterious tattooed wonder I’ve heard so much about.”

“Who are you here for?”

“My girlfriend is the other bridesmaid.” She grinned toothily up at him, “I’m Ezor.”

“Keith.”

“Nice to meet you.” Some music started up and the guests murmured in anticipation. “We better stick together,” Ezor whispered, “The queers no one knows what to do with.”

Keith bit his lip so he wouldn’t laugh out loud. “Sounds like a plan.”

The music swelled and Keith turned around to see the doors to the venue open and there stood Lance with Lotor’s Best Man. Lance playfully linked arms with Antok, which the taller man took in stride. He looked down at Lance and said something that made Lance smile happily. Then they were walking down the isle.

Lance looked simply stunning. His suit was a dark navy blue instead of black. It matched Lotor and Antok’s perfectly. Lance noticed Keith watching him and winked. Keith couldn’t help but smile back at him.

Acxa and Bandor then made their way down the isle and everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath. When the doors reopened Allura stood with her father, an absolute vision in white. The dark color of her skin contrasted beautifully with the white of her hair, her dress. Her makeup was simple, sharp winged eyeliner and bright red lipstick. Her hair was gathered up off her shoulders in a tight up do.

She looked up at her father nervously and he kissed her forehead gently. The guests cooed and Allura slowly made her way down the isle, the train of her veil trailing after her. Keith looked over at Lotor and he was watching her with love oozing from his eyes. A tear slipped down his face and Antok elbowed him and Lotor grinned.

Lance was also watching Allura, but his expression was different from Lotor’s. It was obvious that he deeply cared for her, but not in the same way Lotor did. Alfor kissed Allura’s hand and then placed it carefully in Lotor’s. “Take care of my princess.” He said firmly.

Again the guests laughed and Lance took Allura’s bouquet and kissed her cheek.

The ceremony was short and simple and before Keith knew it Zarkon was saying “Man and wife. You may now kiss your bride.”

Allura tossed her arms up around Lotor’s neck and kissed him, sending him a bit out of balance. Keith clapped along with all the other guests and Ezor pinched his arm, “How vanilla do you think their sex is?”

Keith actually laughed out loud this time, it didn’t matter now since loud music was playing, “Na, I think it’s the opposite. Threesomes. The whole lot.”

Lance was handing Allura her bouquet and the happy couple ran back down the isle. Antok grabbed Lance’s hand and together they made their way back out of the venue. He waved at Keith as he was pulled away, “See you in a bit MCR!” Lance shouted over the music.

“MCR?” Ezor asked, quirking a brow.

“A nickname.”

She smirked, “Makes sense I suppose. With the hair and bad attitude and all. Together they filed back out the small ceremony space and waited in line to greet the couple. Lance was standing next to Allura and his face lit up when he saw Keith.

He hugged the shorter man tightly and whispered in his ear, “You look devastating, but I can’t _wait_ to tear this thing off of you later.”

“Oh for Christ sake.” Lance slapped Keith upside the head and tried to hide the blush that crept across his cheeks. “Save me a dance later hotshot.”

Keith greeted Allura next, carefully kissing her cheek so he wouldn’t mess up her makeup. “Congrats. You look stunning.”

Her smile was bright as a sun, “Thank you. But I know you’re just being nice.” She jabbed a finger against his chest, “I know you just want to steal Lance away.”

He shrugged, “You got me.”

“He knows I still have things to do!” Lance chirped.

Keith rolled his hands and then carefully shook Lotor’s hand. “Congratulations.”

Lotor’s smile was warm and friendly; the first one of its kind Keith had seen on the other mans face. “Thank you.”

Ezor elbowed Keith again, pushing him on down the line. The two waited outside the venue and they were handed little bags full of rice. “This is still a thing?” Keith asked skeptically.

“Right? I thought only dried up Victorian hags did shit like that.”

They laughed and soon the rest of the guests were outside. It was just starting to drizzle, common of Seattle weather this time of year. “The bride and groom!” Alfor shouted, he and Zarkon opened the double doors and Allura and Lotor ran out under a hail of rice. Lance was standing near Alfor, shouting something into his ear.

God Keith wanted than man in his arms. Now. But tradition demanded that Keith would have to wait. Once Lotor and Allura were in their limo Lance and the other members of the wedding party headed for their own limo. They met eyes over the crowd and Lance quickly made his way over to Keith.

“Lance, what are you-“ His voice was cut off when Lance kissed him quickly. The crowd gasped a bit and someone wolf whistled.

“See you at the reception hot stuff.” Lance smiled happily and ran to catch up with the rest of the wedding party.

Blinking a bit Keith watched as his boyfriend disappeared inside a limo. Ezor was cackling, “You found yourself a good one.”

***

Several hours later Ezor was entertaining their table with a story about how she, Acxa and Allura crashed Alfor’s brand new Tesla. Most of the guests at Keith and Ezor’s table were older, but they seemed pretty open minded. That and Ezor was able to make just about anyone laugh.

The older gentleman sitting next to Keith leaned over and asked, “So bride or the groom?”

“Bride. Technically.” Keith answered. He had taken off his suit jacket hours ago and it was currently laid over the back of his chair. He was bored as hell. Weddings weren’t really his thing, and it was worse because Lance was so far away. All Keith wanted was to hug him close and never let go.

That feeling had been growing inside of him lately and he didn’t quite have a word to put to that emotion yet. “Technically?” The older man asked, sipping his drink.

“I’m the Man of Honor’s plus one.”

“Ah,” The man smirked, “Take no offense from this my boy, but you don’t really fit in with this crowd.”

“Ha! Right!” Ezor winked at Keith from across the table, “You’re too cool for any of these posers.”

To Keith’s surprise the old man chuckled. “The young lady would be correct.”

Alfor picked up the mic and for the next thirty minutes or so Keith had to sit through people making awkward speeches. Lance was sitting next to Allura at the wedding party table and he was hiding his boredom a bit better than Keith was. He smiled at all the appropriate times and clapped with everyone else.

Then mercifully the dance floor was finally open and Ezor bounded off excitedly to find her girlfriend. Keith sat and watched Lance for a bit, he was currently spinning around Allura, keeping Lotor away from his bride. Keith smirked, then finally stood up and headed in Lance’s general direction. But just as Keith was about to step on the dance floor people started to clear out.

Lotor appeared at his side and he just said, “Watch.”

Lance and Allura were left alone on the dance floor. A slow song started playing and Lance bowed and Allura curtsied. They were both grinning from ear to ear. “What are they planning?” Keith asked Lotor.

The groom smiled, shaking his head, “Just wait and see.”

Lance had taken Allura into his arms and they slowly swayed back and forth. The guests watched with hearts in their eyes. They did make a lovely pair, though Keith hated thinking it. Suddenly the slow song came to a screeching halt and Lance and Allura sent dismayed looks toward the DJ. Clearly he was in on this little prank because he floundered with his controls. Then _If You’re Too Shy_ by The 1975 pumped through the speakers and Lance spun Allura around. She took her veil off and threw it toward Acxa.

Then Lance and Allura broke into a choreographed dance, grinning like two kids who got away with stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

They danced with a practiced ease; clearly they had been working on this for a while. Lance had taken his suit jacket off as well, and as he danced he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “They wanted to surprise everyone.” Lotor’s voice was horribly fond as he watched them.

“It’s a good surprise.” Keith answered. But he only had eyes for Lance. His blue eyes sparkled with mirth and the smile on his face could melt the coldest of hearts. This was so clearly his element and he wasn’t shy about showing off. His hair flopped around his face and Allura stroked some of it back before Lance spun her around. Lance caught Keith’s eyes and blew him an exaggerated kiss.

Keith’s heart throbbed in his chest. Ah. He understood now.

Lotor saw the strange look on Keith’s face. “What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“No,” Keith gestured a bit weakly in front of him, “I just realized something.”

“What?”

Keith just shook his head. His eyes were glued to the man out on the dance floor.

_I’m in love with him._

***

“We should’ve stayed for another dance.” Lance drawled dramatically when they got back to their room.

“Well that would’ve been well and fine for _you,_ ” Keith said as he collapsed on the bed, “You are a trained dancer.”

Lance giggled, he was the slightest bit tipsy, “You should’ve seen yourself MCR. You can’t dance for shit.”

Keith quirked a brow and sat up, loosening his tie. “Why do you think we hired you for the _Natural_ video?”

Lance didn’t say anything, but he did stand in between Keith’s legs and help him take off his tie and start to unbutton his shirt. Keith swallowed thickly. He looked up into Lance’s face and bit his tongue. _“I love you. God I love you.”_

It kept running through his head. He couldn’t stop it now. Lance was now working on his own shirt, but Keith reached up and took both of Lance’s hands in his. “I thought I said _I_ was going to do that.” He said softly.

Lance smirked, “Then by all means.”

Keith undid each button slowly, kissing the open trail of skin. Lance hummed, his hand running down the collar of Keith’s shirt. Getting a little impatient Keith shrugged out of his shirt and yanked Lance’s off as well.

He grabbed Lance by the hips and held his close, letting his lips ghost over Lance’s skin. “I’ve been wanting to do this all day…” He mumbled into Lance’s collarbone.

Lance chuckled a bit weakly, “Then what are you waiting for?”

Keith stood, using his height to his advantage. He kissed Lance deeply; hoping that those damn words would stay inside his head for a bit longer. It seemed too soon to say it. But god… he loved him. He loved Lance so much he felt an ache in his chest.

The kissing grew deeper and more heated. Keith fumbled with Lance’s pants and Lance returned the favor. It was an awkward stumble to the bed and Lance’s pants were still hanging off of one ankle. But Keith let himself get lost in all those intoxicating sensations.

The sweet drag of Lance’s sweaty skin, the gorgeous sounds he made when Keith bit down on just the right place. His hands were everywhere and Lance’s breathing grew more and more ragged. “K-Keith…” Lance managed to stutter, “Please.”

He pulled back a bit and looked down at Lance’s face. He was red and trembling, one hand clenched tightly in the sheets beneath them. “Please what?” He murmured, ghosting his fingers over Lance’s hip.

Lance closed his eyes and bit his lip. “God come on…” Lance rolled his hips up into Keith’s and made the taller man groan. “Don’t mess with me.” Lance ground out between his teeth.

“Ok, ok.” Keith kissed Lance’s cheek soothingly, “I got you.”

He held Lance close as he trembled and gasped. “God Keith…” Lance clutched tightly around Keith’s neck, “You feel so _good._ ”

Keith suddenly realized he was blinking back tears. He leaned in and kissed Lance, hard. Luckily Lance kissed him back, one of his delicate hands cupping Keith’s cheek. The scarred cheek. Lance’s fingers tripped down the scar and when they pulled away Lance was panting. “You ok?” He whispered.

“Yeah.” Keith buried his face in Lance’s shoulder, “More than ok.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOL. 
> 
> I was going to make Veronica Acxa's girlfriend but then I realized that would be WEIRD because she's Lance's sister. So we have Ezor instead. Sassy bitch I adore her. 
> 
> ALSO THERE GOES KEITH. THE BOYS BE SMITTEN! 
> 
> See y'all soon.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I AM ALIVEEEE

**Lance**

“Hm…” Lance sighed as he awoke. He was in bed, tangled up in blankets and Keith’s extra long limbs. As consciousness slowly grew in him he heard it raining outside. Hopefully it would stop soon so he and Keith could go explore the city.

He had been in Seattle before for competitions but had never lingered long. Keith knew the city better than Lance did. The wedding was a few days ago. Christmas was in just a few days; he was more excited than he should be about spending the holiday with Keith.

Turning his head on the pillow he was met with a still sleeping Keith. His hair was matted up against the pillow and his face and it made Lance grin. It would be a fucking mess when he finally woke up. Keith had also been… more… just more. Ever since the wedding. The way he would look at Lance, touch him, kiss him. It was all more tender but a little desperate at the same time. Almost as if Keith was afraid he was going to lose Lance at any second.

Carefully squirming out of Keith’s hold he sat up, rubbing his eyes. They hadn’t gotten a whole lot accomplished since the wedding. Lots of sex, which was great. Eaten a lot of really great food. Just relaxed, which Lance hadn’t done a lot well, since ever. As long as he could remember he had been going 800 miles an hour and never thought to stop.

But Keith helped to calm Lance down, let him know it was ok to take it easy every once in a while. And other than his daily stretches he did every morning and before bed he hadn’t danced much. It was weird but also cleared his head. Ever since the whole _Pointe_ business Lance had tried to look at dance from a different lens.

Dance wasn’t rigid or mechanical like he had been thinking. It was fluid, gorgeous. Fun. Like the dance he and Allura did at her wedding. They sat down one day after wedding planning and decided to come up with a little number. The guests had eaten that shit up. Lance had gotten a cute little video of it that he put on Instagram.

Keith groaned in his sleep and Lance turned to look at him. He had slow danced with Keith all night, letting his head rest up against Keith’s chest, listened to his heartbeat as it mixed with the thump of the music. He had never felt so safe in his life. Being with Keith made him feel so secure and wanted.

“It’s too fucking early.” Keith groaned.

Looking at the clock next to their bed he laughed, “Its 9 in the morning.”

“Like I said,” Keith grabbed Lance’s arm and drug him back onto the bed, “Too fucking early.” Lance didn’t protest, just snuggled back into Keith’s side. “Besides,” His voice was rough with sleep, “It’s raining.”

“They make these things called umbrellas.” Lance whispered into Keith’s ear.

Keith sighed and finally opened his eyes, “I’m only getting out of this bed if you kiss me and you promise we get coffee the second we leave this room.”

A slow grin crawled up Lance’s face. “Sounds doable.” He leaned up and kissed Keith gently. Keith smiled against Lance’s mouth and soon he was smiling too. “Now come on.” Lance left the comfort and warmth of the bed and hunted around for some clothes. It was December in Seattle so he looked for something warm.

His boyfriend was a bit slower in getting out of bed and he seemingly brushed his teeth in a daze. Lance loved Keith in the mornings. He was grouchy and irritable but cuddly and always happy to receive kisses.

After about twenty minutes of ushering Keith around they were both ready to leave. They were staying at the Renaissance, right in the heart of downtown. All the guests from the wedding had stayed there. And when Alfor and Melenor had heard about the two younger men staying in town longer they paid for the rest of their stay.

They had both protested violently but the older couple would hear none of it. There was a Starbucks on the main floor and Lance slowly guided Keith in that direction. Once they had their coffee they sat on the first floor and watched the world go by. Keith needed his caffeine if he wanted to function for the rest of the day.

They sat side by side on a couch, holding hands. Seattle was a really friendly LGBTQIA+ city. So they didn’t get quite as many stares here as they did back home. That was a nice feeling. Lance had always considered moving here after he graduated. Glancing at Keith an idea formed. Maybe they could move here together.

His throat felt thick. If they were still together that long that is. But of course they’d still be together, right? They only had one more semester of college. A few months. They had already been together for three.

Suddenly a life without Keith struck Lance flat in the face. What would that be like? Lonely was the first word that came to mind. He would be just like he was before. Moving through everyday just waiting for things to get better.

He blinked a bit, his eyes turning to the rainy street outside. He didn’t want to think about losing Keith. But… he might not be thinking that way. Keith might not want a long term. But hell, Lance had never even had a long term. The longest he had ever been with another person was five months. And she left him because she thought Lance was just hiding that he was gay.

“Hey,” Keith nuzzled his nose into the hair just above Lance’s ear, “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.” Lance forced a smile. “You’ve had your coffee, show me around the city.”

Keith smirked a bit, “Alright.” He stood, grabbing Lance’s hand. “Wanna see Pike Place first? That’s only a couple of blocks from here. Or we could take an Uber to the Space Needle.”

“I do want to see the Space Needle eventually, but what about something that isn’t so touristy?”

Keith rubbed his chin, “How about Elliott Bay? It’s a huge bookstore. My dad used to love it.”

“Yeah. That sounds cool.”

A doorman held open the door for them and Keith smiled kindly at him. They paused for a moment as Keith opened up the umbrella they bought yesterday. “We could call an Uber. Most of this is an uphill walk.”

Lance smirked, “Honestly I could use the exercise,” Lance poked Keith’s side with his free hand, “And so could you, Mr. I-only-run-if-I’m-being-chased.”

“Running was invented by Satan. Only psychopaths _enjoy_ running.”

Together they hiked up the hill toward Elliott Bay. As you got closer to the water everything went downhill drastically. But moving away from the water proved to be a challenge. The rain was starting to let up a bit so Keith closed the umbrella and grabbed for Lance’s free hand.

Lance was enchanted by Elliott Bay. It was a massive bookstore with a second level. There was an entire section dedicated to dance and Lance lost himself within it. He hadn’t even noticed that Keith had drifted away from him until he looked up to say something and met eyes with an older woman instead of his boyfriend. Smiling a bit awkwardly he glanced around and saw Keith across the store, sorting through a bunch of books about music. “First time here?” The woman asked.

He nodded, “I’m in Seattle for the holidays.”

“I have lived here all my life. Beautiful city. Pike Place is beautiful at Christmas time.”

“Do you have any recommendations?” Lance balanced another book about Russian ballet on his growing stack.

“There is a fun bar called _The Unicorn._ I used to go there with my husband when we were younger. It isn’t far from here.” She smiled and the stack of books in Lance’s arms, “Are you traveling alone?”

Lance shook his head and looked back across the store. Keith had pulled his hair into a bun and strands fell out and framed his face in such a beautiful way. He was wearing a leather jacket over a black band shirt, dark wash jeans and those stupid black Doc Martins. He looked back at the older woman and smiled, “I’m here with my boyfriend.” The confidence and love in his voice was still taking some getting used to.

When he had dated people in the past he had always been scared to let people know. When he dated girls people didn’t believe he was bi. When he dated men everyone thought he was gay, or trying to compensate for something. But Keith took all those fears away. Having him at Lance’s side filled Lance’s heart and mind with confidence and security.

“Is he the tall one? With the black hair?” The woman’s voice refocused Lance on the conversation.

Nodding he felt a blush heat up his cheeks, “Yeah, that’s him.”

She patted one of Lance’s arms and winked, “He is quite beautiful.” His smile grew and he just nodded. “Well, thank you for entertaining a conversation with an old lady. Please enjoy your time in the city.”

“Of course.” Lance smiled again at the woman. She did seem happier now that she had spoken with another person. “Thank you, we’ll try that bar tonight.”

Waving over her shoulder she hobbled away, moving toward the poetry section. Lance readjusted his stack of books and headed across the store to Keith. “You disappeared on me.”

Glancing up Keith smirked shyly, “Sorry. You seemed pretty absorbed in what you were looking at.”

After a successful trip to _The Unicorn_ and Pike Place Keith and Lance made their way back to their hotel room. The rain had started up again in earnest so they decided to stay in for the rest of the night. They were wrapped in blankets and drinking some incredible Seattle coffee. Some terrible indie movie was playing softly on the T.V. but neither one of them was really paying attention.

“Should we order some food soon?” Lance asked, craning his head around to look up at Keith.

“Hm,” Keith sipped his coffee and pulled Lance a bit closer, “Probably. Have anything in mind?”

“Maybe some seafood.” Keith’s grimace made Lance chuckle, his boyfriend hated seafood. “Honestly I’d kill for some pizza. There’s a place just down the block.”

An hour later, after pizza and more coffee Lance found himself lazily making out with Keith. It seemed like this was all they managed to get done lately. But it sickeningly lovely. Lance couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy. Maybe never.

Keith titled his head and pushed in closer and Lance ran his hands up Keith’s neck and into his hair. He allowed Keith to push him down into the bed; hell he was helplessly to do much else. The sound of the rain mingled with Lance’s heartbeat.

“You ok?” Keith whispered against Lance’s lips.

He looked up into Keith’s deep blue eyes and smiled softly, “Yeah.” His fingers trailed over Keith’s face. The tips of his fingers just trailed over the scar.

They had never talked about that. Lance had figured it was too personal a story. And its not like Lance hated it or anything. It was just a part of Keith.

“Its ugly isn’t it?” Keith noticed Lance staring.

Shaking his head quickly he sat up a bit, running a thumb over Keith’s chin, “No. No, it could never be.”

He seemed to hesitate as he looked down at Lance. Several different emotions swirled through Keith’s eyes. He sat up fully and rubbed at the scar on his cheek. “No one has ever said that to me before.”

Lance felt his brow furrow, “What do you mean?”

The smirk on Keith’s face was angry, but a lingering sadness remained in his eyes. “I’ve heard it all. People look at me and see some weird deformity, or they expect some grand story.”

“I’m so sorry,” Lance stroked Keith’s cheek, “But I don’t think that way. You’re beautiful.”

Keith’s eyes softened. “I haven’t told you how I got it have I?”

“No. And you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Sighing softly Keith brushed fingers across the scar. “I got it the day my dad died.”

“Jesus… Keith,” Lance grabbed one of Keith’s hand and kissed it quickly.

“My mom and dad got separated when I was little. I was a surprise baby. And my mom is amazing but her lifestyle wasn’t suited for a kid. Even though my dad didn’t want kids I guess he kinda fell in love with me right off the bat.” Keith smiled softly, his eyes focused on something in the distance. “So he offered to take care of me. I didn’t see Krolia a lot as a kid, but I saw her every birthday and holiday. For most of my life it was just me and my dad.”

“I wish I could’ve met him.”

“Shiro was around a lot when I was younger, he’s basically a brother to me. I’m grateful to him.” Keith inhaled sharply, “My dad and I liked to take weekend trips out of LA. We’d just get in his car and drive for a couple hours and see where we wound up. We decided to take one last trip before I moved up to Berkeley.”

Lance didn’t know what to say so he snuggled up to Keith’s side. He had an idea of where this story might be going.

_TW: Description of Car Accident_

“After about a couple hours it started to rain pretty heavily. I told my dad we should pull over somewhere and wait it out, but he laughed it off. He said he had driven through worse before.” Keith’s entire body started to tense as he went on, “We were on some back road winding through the mountains. Neither one of us saw the truck until it was too late.”

“Babe…”

“It hit us head on. We didn’t even have a chance to slow down.” Keith closed his eyes and Lance wrapped both arms around his waist and pushed his nose into Keith’s shoulder. “I don’t know how long I was out… but by the time I came to I heard sirens in the distance. Since we were on some back road no one drove by and saw the wreck. The dude in the pickup was fine… hardly a scratch. He called 911.”

“You don’t have to keep going…”

“My dad was already gone.” His voice was tight and Lance could tell he was trying not to cry, “They told me later he was killed instantly.” His fingers traced absentmindedly over his scar, “It took them an hour to pry me out of the car. I lost a lot of blood and broke some bones. But I was out of the hospital in a week.”

Keith paused, swallowing hard; “I was in the car with his body… the whole time.”

Lance pressed a kiss to Keith’s cheek, trying desperately to comfort the man in front of him. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

He shook his head but squeezed at Lance’s arm, “I never thought I would have to plan a funeral at 19.”

Lance’s brow furrowed. “Your mom didn’t help you?”

Shrugging Keith went on, “She really did love my dad. Something broke inside her after he died. She couldn’t really handle it all. Shiro and his parents helped… but the year afterward was one of the worst of my life.”

Lance climbed into Keith’s lap and rubbed his hands up and down the other mans neck. “I’m glad you had a support system. I can’t imagine losing either one of my parents.”

Keith smiled sadly, “But yeah… I got the scar during the accident. Some metal from the passenger side door cut pretty deep in my face and neck. Paramedics told me I was lucky to be alive.”

Leaning forward Lance let his lips drift over the scar. He placed feather light kisses all long Keith’s jaw and neck, and Keith let him, his head lolling to the side. “I know you’ve probably heard this before but…” He pulled back and looked carefully into Keith’s eyes, “You are so incredibly brave.”

Snorting a bit Keith ran a hand through his hair, “I don’t feel brave. All I did was survive a car crash.”

“Yes, you did. I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through. But you pushed through it. You went to school and kept up stuff with Page Ten.” Lance kissed the corner of Keith’s mouth, “And I am so proud of you.”

Keith closed his eyes again and Lance could see the tension in his jaw. “Its ok. I’ve got you.” Lance whispered.

When Keith opened his eyes they were full of pain. “I just…” His voice cracked, “I miss him so much…”

“Come here.” Lance sat back against the headboard and pulled Keith to his chest. His boyfriend relented and buried his face in Lance’s shirt. Sobs shook at his shoulders and Lance was helpless to do much else other than stroke a hand through Keith’s hair. “I’m right here.”

After a long while Keith’s sobs tapered off and he sighed heavily and settled deeper into Lance’s arms. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry!” Lance pushed some hair out of Keith’s face and kissed his forehead, “How many times have you taken care of me? Let me take care of you now.”

A small smile crept onto Keith’s face. “I got snot all over your shirt.”

“I mean…” Lance smirked a bit, “Its not the worst bodily fluid you’ve gotten all over him.”

“Oh for fucks sake.” Keith hid his blush in Lance’s shirt.

They stayed that way for a long time, just listening to the rain. Eventually Keith fell asleep and Lance continued to stroke a hand through his hair. And as he sat there watching Keith breath he knew he couldn’t deny it any longer.

How could he? Keith had such a beautiful soul and he had been through so much. But despite the shit life had thrown at him Keith had come out stronger. He was so full of life and love and passion.

Swallowing Lance rested his chin on Keith’s head. He looked out the window and let the feeling crash over him in waves. “God Keith.” The whisper left his mouth, “I’m so in love with you.”

***

“Merry Christmas.” Keith whispered in Lance’s ear.

Lance scrunched up his face and sighed, “What time is it?”

“7 A.M.”

Opening his eyes Lance looked up at Keith, “I think this is the only time you’ve ever woken up before noon.”

“Well,” Keith brushed some hair out of Lance’s face, “Willingly at least.”

He rolled over onto his back and stretched, “Merry Christmas.” He let his hands rest on his stomach and grinned at the excited look on Keith’s face. “You are so adorable.”

A light blush dusted Keith’s cheeks; “I’m just excited to spend Christmas with my boyfriend. Sue me.”

Sitting up Lance pressed a kiss to Keith’s lips. “I am too. But I am _not_ gunna give you your present without showering first.”

Keith returned the kiss and nuzzled his nose into the hair just above Lance’s ear, “Should we save some water?”

Lance chose to respond by dragging Keith out of bed and toward the hotel bathroom. The taller man backed them into the shower stall and Lance yelped a bit when his back came in contact with the cold shower wall. He was laughing as Keith picked him up to bring him closer, “At least turn the water on first-ah-h…” His words were lost to Keith’s lips as they kissed deeply.

Eventually they both lost all their clothes and distantly Lance noted that the water had been turned on. But all his other thoughts were lost to Keith’s lips and the feelings coursing through his entire body. Shivering a bit as Keith bit down on his collarbone he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Keith’s neck. “You… you’re killing me over here…” His voice was rough and pleading but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Maybe this is part of your present.” Keith whispered into Lance’s ear.

“Hm… can you just…”

He didn’t have to say anymore, Keith understood what he wanted. Lance’s heart throbbed almost painfully. The past few days had been eye opening. Ever since he had admitted that he was in love with Keith little things kept coming back to him. Like the way Keith played with his hair when he was thinking, or the way Keith was able to read what mood Lance was in.

Lance squeezed his eyes shut and he was grateful for the water pouring from the showerhead. He could feel tears sliding down his face. He wasn’t quite sure why he was crying, maybe it was the pleasure, or maybe it was the ache down to his bones from finally admitting his feelings.

“You ok?” Keith asked, peering up at Lance through his wet hair.

Opening his eyes Lance stroked a hand up Keith’s cheek, knotting his hand in his hair, “I’m fine… please don’t stop.”

Keith nudged up Lance’s chin and kissed him deeply, quickening his pace. Lance’s heart clenched in his chest as the heat rose around the both of them. It was all so fucking _perfect_ that Lance felt that he might burst.

His forehead dropped to Keith’s shoulder and his entire body shivered violently. “Keith I...”

And again Lance didn’t need to say anymore. Keith understood without words. He pressed a kiss to one of Lance’s shoulders, “Look at me.” With a great amount of effort Lance lifted his head and his bleary eyes met Keith’s clear ones. “You are so fucking beautiful.” Keith said softly, a thumb trailing over Lance’s jaw.

“Fuck,” Lance bit his lip and hissed, nails digging into Keith’s shoulder blades, “Are you _trying_ to kill me?”

Keith’s laughter filled the bathroom and took over everything in Lance’s head.

***

Hours later, after actually showering and Keith tackling Lance to the bed and devouring him again, they were sitting in bed over the last of their breakfast and coffee. “Can I _please_ give you your present now?” Keith asked eagerly.

Blushing a bit Lance nodded, finally relenting.

Keith hoped out of bed and over to one of the suitcases. He pulled out a rather large box and excitedly came back over to the bed. “Merry Christmas babe.” Keith said, putting the box in Lance’s hand.

Looking at it a bit skeptically Lance started to tear away the bright red wrapping paper. He was met with a regular cardboard box and when he glanced up at Keith he noticed that his boyfriend looked like he was about to burst.

He pulled open the box and felt his eyes go wide. “Keith you didn’t.” His eyes flashed up to Keith’s face and noticed he was smiling so hard his dimple was showing.

Lance pulled the pointe shoes out of the box and stroked them delicately. “Are these what I think they are?”

“Of course.”

Keith had gotten Lance a pointe shoe designed specifically for male dancers. They were from a Russian company called _Siberian Swan._ The shoes were called _Rudolf,_ after Lance’s idol Rudolf Nureyev. Lance had been talking about these shoes for months now, but hadn’t been able to justify the expense. “You didn’t.” He said again, looking up at Keith in shock.

“Well,” Keith shrugged, “Allura helped me. I was afraid I would get the wrong pair.”

Lance blinked a bit, and then pounced on Keith, hugging him hard. “You are ridiculous. Those are so expensive! Why would you do that?”

“Is this your way of saying thank you?” Keith was clearly amused

As Lance kissed Keith he found it hard to hide his smile. “Thank you so much.” He rested his forehead against Keith’s, “You are precious and adorable and I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

Keith kissed Lance again, running his hands up his sides. “You deserve them babe.”

Jumping back off Keith’s lap Lance studied the shoes closely, excitement bubbling up in his stomach. Of course it would take quite a while to break them in, but he couldn’t wait to start dancing on them. His old pointe shoes were practically falling apart so this was a much-needed gift. “Thank you so much.” He said again.

“You’re welcome.”

After another minute of gushing he looked up nervously at Keith’s content face. “I guess its my turn.”

“I told you that you didn’t have to get me anything.”

Lance threw a pillow at Keith’s head, “You got me top of the line pointe shoes and you thought I wouldn’t get you anything?”

“I’m weird when people get me stuff.”

He jumped out of bed and went to his backpack. His package was much smaller than the one Keith had given him and butterflies flared up in his stomach. Allura and Hunk had insisted that Keith would love this gift, but Lance found that he was second guessing himself.

“Merry Christmas.” He said softly, giving Keith the box.

Sitting down next to Keith on the bed Lance picked at his fingers and waited for Keith’s reaction.

Keith tore away the wrapping paper and carefully opened the small box to revel two black rings. One was larger than the other, clearly Keith’s size. The other was a bit smaller and Lance fought for something to say.

“Uh… maybe this was too much,” Lance ran a hand through his hair and looked at the floor, “But I thought it might be nice-“

“Lance.”

He flinched a bit, “Yes?”

“Look at me.” Lance slowly lifted his eyes to Keith’s, and he was smiling. “You got us matching rings.”

“I did.”

The smile grew, “Matching rings.” He looked back down at the box, dimple making another appearance.

“Do you uh, do you like them?”

“I love them.” Keith said, looking up at Lance. The look on his face was so open and happy that Lance couldn’t help but smile back. “Give me your hand.” Keith grabbed Lance’s left hand and carefully slid the ring onto Lance’s ring finger.

Biting his lip and riding out a wave of confidence he grabbed Keith’s ring and put it on for him. Keith smiled down at it and wound his fingers with Lance’s, the rings catching the light. “I don’t know what to say.” His voice was horribly soft.

“You don’t have to say anything…” Lance pressed forward, getting into Keith’s space. “Just kiss me.”

And so Keith did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I sort of fell off the face of the planet for a bit. But with the state of the world I have been distracted. I've been protesting (and if you are too please stay safe!) and signing petitions. It has been hard to focus on much else. 
> 
> So I want all of you to know I stand with Black Lives Matter, and I hope you all do as well. 
> 
> But yeah, our boys are cute and I am excited for the next few chapters. 
> 
> Please stay safe and let your voices be heard.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FUCKIN YEET I GUESS

**Keith**

He sat strumming his guitar, letting the melody stream out into the room. He had played Sufjan Stevens before, but he still felt a little out of his element. Usually when Page Ten covered stuff it was more metal or punk, closer to their own sound.

_Spirit of my silence I can hear you, but I’m afraid to be near you_

_And I don’t know where to begin_

_And I don’t know where to begin_

_Somewhere in the desert there’s a forest, and an acre before us_

_But I don’t know where to begin_

_But I don’t know where to begin_

_Again I lost my strength completely, oh be near me tired old mare_

_With the wind in your hair_

_Amethyst and flowers on the table, is it real or a fable?_

_Well I suppose a friend is a friend_

_And we all know how this well end_

Glancing up he saw Lance sitting in the corner, a small smile on his face. Keith fought the urge to smile back at him. He was recording right now and had to try to remain serious. Adam and Shiro sat behind the camera and Shiro kept an eye on the sound. They were going to put this cover up on Youtube at eight P.M. later that evening.

Lance had actually been the person to suggest this whole endeavor. During the past couple of months he had gotten more involved with Page Ten business and helped out with the social media. Their Instagram page had seen a jump in numbers lately and that was thanks to Lance. He took pictures of the guys during practice and just when they were hanging out. Apparently Page Ten fans liked to see more of the guys in their element.

And while Keith had been hesitant to cover this song he trusted Lance’s opinion. Lance said the fans would lose their shit over seeing a more vulnerable side of Keith. He began the last verse and closed his eyes and let his fingers trip over a tricky bit on the guitar.

Finishing up he sat in silence for a moment before he looked up at the camera. “How was that?”

“Sounded pretty damn good to me.” Adam grinned, pushing up his glasses, “Who knew you could do weird indie forest pop so well.”

Keith rolled his eyes and drug a hand through his hair, and then pulled it back into a sloppy bun at the base of his neck. “Were the sound levels better that time?”

Shiro nodded, “Yep. We won’t need to edit this, we can put that second take up as is.”

“Sweet. Do you want me to do?”

“Na. I got it handled.” Shiro shut off the camera and carefully put it back in its case. “Take the rest of the night off.” He looked over at Lance; “You want me to make a post later?”

Lance already had his attention turned to his phone; “I’m already on it.”

Adam laughed and helped Shiro pack up the rest of their recording equipment. The four men exchanged some more words before Adam hauled Shiro out of the apartment. Keith put his guitar away and set the case by the door. “What does the mastermind have going on?” He asked Lance.

“Check this out,” Lance bounced over and showed Keith a short video of him. Lance had removed the sound and put a black and white filter over it. The Keith inside the screen ran a hand through his hair, smiling at someone off screen. Then he bent over his guitar and looked to play a scale. The video ended after that. “I think the caption will be ‘Page Ten. 8 P.M.’ or maybe that’s too simple?”

“Honestly babe I have no idea.”

Lance rolled his eyes and leaned into Keith’s side. “That’s why you let me figure out your Instagram posts. Your feed was pathetic.”

“Wow thanks.” Keith replied sarcastically, roughly kissing Lance’s neck. “Should we order some food?”

Ever since Christmas Keith had felt as if he was walking on air. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy. Lance had also basically moved in with Keith. They hadn’t spent a night apart in about three weeks. Apparently Hunk was kind of irritated, not in any ill will towards Keith, but because he missed Lance.

But Hunk had started to come hang out over at Keith’s and he had to admit it was nice. Ever since Lance had come into his life he had been a bit more social and actually made some new friends. He was more relaxed and smiled more.

Glancing over at Lance now Keith felt his heart throb painfully in his chest. God he was so in love. But he had been too scared to say it out loud. He wasn’t quite sure what was stopping him… maybe the fear of Lance rejecting him. Because Keith didn’t know what he would do without Lance now. The thought of returning to his miserable existence he knew before Lance scared the hell out of him.

Lance looked up at him and grinned brightly, “Hunk said he cooked too much earlier. He wants to bring some stuff over, is that cool?”

“Of course.”

His boyfriend bounced over to Keith’s record player and started to look through his collection of vinyl. He pulled out a record by M83 and started it at _Midnight City_.

Keith smiled as Lance closed his eyes and slowly started to move to the music. Lance had been dancing a lot more recently and Keith loved to see it. It was as if Lance had rediscovered why he truly loved to dance. “If this song doesn’t instantly remind you of the shower scene in _Warm Bodies_ then you haven’t been living the right kind of life.” Lance declared over the music.

“Hey,” Keith held up his hands in defense of himself, “You’re talking to a flaming homosexual. Nicholas Hoult was my bread and butter back in day.”

Laughing Lance motioned for Keith to come join him.

“Babe. Come on. You know I can’t dance.”

“Please?” Lance asked, giving Keith a look that didn’t leave him much room to protest.

Lance grabbed Keith’s hands and pulled him close just as the peak of the song started. Keith had always loved the saxophone in this song but he liked it a hell of a lot more when Lance was guiding their bodies together in a slow grind.

Moving his hips Lance pulled Keith even closer, smirking up at him playfully. “You suck.”

“You’re just saying that because I turn you on!” Lance said the last couple of words in a singsong voice.

Keith responded by lifting Lance’s chin and kissing him softly. “Hey, you were the one that told Hunk to come over.”

Laughing Lance kissed the tip of Keith’s nose. “There will be plenty of time for sex later darling.”

“Christ.” Keith blushed again and draped his arms around Lance’s waist.

The first song stopped and they slowed to a stop. Keith bit his lip as he looked down at his boyfriend. He had to swallow past a lump in his throat. He was so in love. It was getting painful not to say it out loud.

Lance’s phone buzzed and he sighed, pulling it out of his pocket to check. “Hunk is downstairs.”

“He knows the code to get inside. He can come up on his own.”

Quirking a brow Lance texted Hunk back, “He told me that he’s afraid of accidently walking in on us getting freaky.”

Keith’s mouth fell open and then he laughed. “I mean…”

“Nope!” Lance lightly slapped Keith’s arm, “I love my friend so dearly, but he is an innocent one. We would ruin him if he walked in on us having sex.”

“I don’t know why I put up with you.”

“I don’t either. But now you’re stuck with me.”

Lance went to get Hunk and Keith collapsed on his couch, running his hand through his hair. His own phone buzzed and he saw Rolo was calling him. “Hey.”

“You busy?”

“Not really. Lance and Hunk are over right now.”

“Oh.”

“Is something wrong?” Keith smiled at Lance and Hunk as they made their way into the apartment. “Do you need to talk?”

“No its fine. You’re busy.”

“Why don’t you come over?”

“I think I would be imposing.”

Keith pulled his phone away from his mouth, “Babe. Can Rolo come over?”

“Sure! Hunk hasn’t met him yet.”

Hunk quirked a brow as he put a pot on the stove, “Keith has friends?”

“Hunk!” Lance giggled and jumped on his friends shoulder.

“Lance says come over.” Keith said back into his phone.

Rolo sighed heavily, “Ok. I won’t stay long though.”

Keith grunted as Lance landed on top of him. “Hi.”

“Hello.” Lance kissed Keith’s nose, “Is Rolo ok?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, if anything helps him feel better it’ll be you.”

The three men in the apartment started to eat the food Hunk brought over and after about twenty minutes Rolo joined them. He sat toward the edge of the group smiling politely at the jokes and banter passed around. Lance could sense some of the tension and he offered to help Hunk carry some stuff back to their apartment. “Wait.” Keith grabbed Lance’s wrist, “Are you spending the night there?”

He rolled his eyes, “No. I’ll be back. I need to grab some of my other dance shoes anyways. We have a pointe exam coming up in Ballet Three.”

“Ok.” Keith pulled Lance down for a quick kiss, “Be careful. If you want me to walk you back just text me.”

“Alright Mr. Protective.” Hunk teased, “He’ll be safe.”

The other two men left and Rolo was left awkwardly perched in Keith’s desk chair.

“So what’s up?” Keith asked him.

“What do you mean?”

“Rolo come on, we know each other too well. What’s on your mind?”

The blond man sighed heavily and sipped at the drink in his hand. “I’ve been working up to say this for a long time. But now that I’m here I don’t know how to say it.”

Keith’s brow furrowed, “What’s going on? I’m worried.”

Rolo rolled his eyes but Keith could tell he was nervous. “You haven’t been worried about me in a long time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“God,” Rolo gripped his hair tightly in one fist, “You are so blind.”

Sitting up fully Keith looked at Rolo closely, “We’ve always been able to talk. Why are you dodging the subject now?”

“Its Lance!” Rolo finally yelled, breathing heavily. “Ever since you two got together its all about him!”

Keith blinked, watching Rolo in shock.

“Oh don’t look at me like that! I just… I don’t know what to do because I never thought I’d lose you. But Lance took you away from me.”

“What do you mean? We’re still friends, Rolo.”

“Oh really? When was the last time we spent any time together? This is the first time we’ve seen each other in _weeks._ ”

Keith swallowed, trying to absorb all this information. Rolo had never acted like this before. Keith had dated before Lance, but none of those relationships had been very serious. But then again maybe that was the problem, Lance… he was serious. To Keith he was forever. “Wait.” Keith looked up at the man across from him, “Are you jealous?”

Rolo bit out a laugh, “You’re just now figuring that out?”

“Rolo what the hell? It’s been years. _You_ were the one that pushed us to separate!”

“Well maybe I regret it!”

A tense silence fell over the two men. Rolo’s eyes had gone wide, and he clearly regretted saying what he just said. “Rolo,”

“No.” He stood, legs shaking. “I said too much. I should go.”

“Wait!” Keith stood as well, grabbing Rolo’s wrist. “You can’t just leave like that! We need to talk about this!”

“What is there to talk about?” Rolo looked up at Keith, his eyes were misty, “I realized too late that I’m still in love with you but you’re in love with someone else.”

Again Keith was shocked into silence. His grip on Rolo’s wrist loosened and his hand dropped his side. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Of course you don’t.” Rolo swallowed thickly, “But who am I to get in the way? I wasn’t going to tell you. But I hate seeing you with him. Because you’re happier with him than you ever were with me.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Its true you asshole! We were together for years… but I can tell you already feel more for him than you did for me.”

Keith blinked, wondering what he could say. His mind was reeling. Minutes ago he was kissing Lance on the cheek, teasing him while Hunk showed them some video on Youtube. And now his ex was telling him that he was still in love with him.

“I don’t know why you haven’t told him.”

“Told him what?” Keith said on a breath.

“That you love him.” Rolo’s eyes still had that tinge of pain but he was smiling softly at Keith. “You are head over heels for him.”

Keith brushed a hand over his face and groaned, “Rolo. You keep avoiding the subject.”

Shaking his head Rolo walked up to Keith and got up on his tiptoes. He quickly kissed Keith on the cheek and looked at him for a long moment. “I’m not going to stand in the way. But now you know. So if I keep my distance for a while… I hope you’ll understand.”

Keith’s brow furrowed as he watched Rolo leave the apartment. God why was he such an asshole? Rolo just laid his fucking heart bare and he just stood there. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and distantly he saw that Lance was on his way back.

He sat on his couch again and rested his head in his hands. Was he crying? He was shaking for sure. Had Rolo been right? Had he really drifted through that relationship like it was nothing? How had he been so blind to Rolo’s feelings?

Rolo was the one who suggested they break up. He said it was getting boring. Keith had been confused, he had just started to get used to the more domestic side of he and Rolo’s relationship. But he hadn’t been devastated. It had felt like a mutual parting of ways. And they had stayed friends.

Rolo dated, and dated frequently. Told Keith all about his sexual escapades and the people he liked. For the most part he had been supportive of Keith dating, not that he did much. Had Rolo been hiding those feelings all along? Had he let Keith go because he saw Keith had lost that spark between them?

“I stopped by Altea and got that disgusting drink you like so much-“ Lance was back in the apartment and he stopped short when he saw Keith on the couch. “Hey. What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Sorry. I, uh…”

Lance cupped Keith’s face in his hands and looked at him carefully. “Did something happen with Rolo?”

Keith took a deep breath and just kept looking at Lance. The one person that kept him stable and grounded. “Rolo said he was still in love with me.”

Lance’s hands faltered a bit but they didn’t leave Keith’s face. “I don’t know what I should say.”

Shaking his head Keith closed his eyes. He didn’t want to see the pain in Lance’s eyes. “He’s jealous of you.”

“Of me? Why?”

Opening his eyes slowly Keith swallowed thickly. “Because I’m in love with you.”

“Oh.” Lance’s hands fell from Keith’s face and a blush grew on his cheeks and ears.

Keith stood and ran both hands through his hair and sighed heavily. “I uh, I didn’t want to tell you like this.”

Lance was sitting on the couch, staring up at Keith, his reaction veiled. “You said you’re in love with me.”

Flinching a bit Keith opened his mouth and words poured out of his mouth before he could stop them. “I know we haven’t been together that long… but I’ve never met anyone like you before. And no one has ever had me feel the way you make me feel and I just-mph!”

Lance had flown up off the couch and slammed his lips to Keith’s. Gratefully Keith closed his eyes and leaned into it, running his hands up into Lance’s hair. Lance pressed closer and his arms wrapped up around Keith’s neck. Pulling back a bit Lance said again, “You said you’re in love with me.”

Keith touched a thumb to Lance’s chin and couldn’t stop the small smile that crossed his lips. “I do. I love you.”

Lance’s light blue eyes delved into Keith’s. His voice was incredibly small, “No one has ever...”

“No one has ever what?”

“Loved me like this.” Lance’s eyes were misty.

Again that lingering anger flared up behind Keith’s eyes. How could people treat Lance like he was nothing? He was so strong and loving and happy. Keith leaned his forehead against Lance’s and pulled him close. Swallowing past the lump in his throat he whispered, “I’m here now.”

Lance jumped up and wrapped his arms around Keith’s neck, hugging him tightly. “It scares me.”

“What scares you?”

“I’m scared of losing you.”

“You won’t.” Keith pressed a kiss to Lance’s forehead.

Snorting a bit Lance said, “Your ex-boyfriend just told you that he is still in love with you.”

“Hey. Look at me.” Keith waited until they were looking into one another’s eyes, “You won’t lose me. Because I can’t lose _you_. You are everything to me, please know that.”

“God.” Lance sniffled and rolled his eyes, “You are so fucking cheesy.”

“Hm.” Keith nudged his nose against Lance’s, “Kiss me?”

“Gladly.”

Together they stumbled back into a wall and the kiss was slow, heated and sloppy. Lance was shivering and gripping at Keith’s hair. And his mind was reeling because he finally told Lance that he loves him. Keith quickly unbuttoned Lance’s shirt and pushed it off his shoulders.

It was an awkward tumble up to Keith’s bed but Keith reveled in Lance’s body and the way he responded to Keith’s touch.

Lance looked at Keith for a moment and then switched their positions, smothering Keith with kisses, pushing him down into the mattress. Keith’s hands settled on Lance’s hips as they both moved, and Lance’s face was on the verge of ruining Keith.

But on the edge of it all was that tingling worry. Because Lance hadn’t said it back. Gritting his teeth Keith tried not to lose it completely as Lance sucked a mark onto his neck. Lance was tearing him apart bit by bit and Keith knew he was making sounds but he couldn’t stop it. It all felt so _fucking_ good.

But he hadn’t said it back.

“Lance…” Keith reached up and touched Lance’s face, “I love you. So much.”

Grinning a bit Lance leaned down and kissed Keith hungrily. “God, MCR. I love you too. Even if it scares the shit out of me.”

Well.

This was different. Keith’s heart swelled his chest and it was physically painful. Tears welled up in his eyes and he happily accepted the deep kiss Lance pushed to his mouth. Lance moved just so and Keith felt his back arch and he gasped. Smirking a bit Lance’s mouth moved back along and mouthed along Keith’s jawline. “Ah god…” Lance muttered and Keith closed his eyes and just let Lance go. He felt cracked open and brand fucking new.

He never imagined that his life would turn out this way. And in the back of his mind he realized what Rolo said was true. Keith couldn’t imagine the pain he would feel if Lance left him.

He had never been the type to believe in soul mates or true love, but with Lance… everything was different. Lance was all he ever needed. He was so precious; sometimes it took Keith’s breath away to realize that Lance was _his_. But at the same time he was so incredibly strong and didn’t take shit from anyone. He has worked so hard to get to where he was today and Keith was so proud he felt like he would burst.

“Lance, _fuck_ …” Keith knew his voice was wrecked and he sounded desperate but he didn’t care. He just needed Lance, needed all of him.

They both moved at the same time and that sent Keith over the edge and Lance quickly followed, collapsing onto Keith’s chest. While they regrouped Keith stroked a hand up and down Lance’s back, his heart still stuttering out of rhythm.

Lance pushed up on his elbows and kissed Keith’s nose. Then a smile spread across his face and a flush ran up his neck to his face, “I love you.” He whispered.

Keith couldn’t stop his smile. “I love _you_.”

Laughing Lance adjusting his position so he could lay his head against Keith’s chest. “We suck, don’t we?”

“Maybe just a little.”

Lance sighed, “But…”

“Rolo. I know.” Keith’s hand trailed up into Lance’s hair. “I wish there was another way I could handle this situation.”

Lance looked up at Keith carefully. “You um… you can do whatever you think is best.”

“Hey.” Keith sat up and pulled Lance up with him, “I love _you_ , Lance. You and only you. I can’t lose you. I won’t.”

Lance’s eyes misted over again and he touched Keith’s cheek lightly, “You falter me good sir.”

Snorting Keith pulled Lance into a hug, and then tackled him onto the bed. After a moment Keith went serious again, “He said he was going to… distance himself from me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Because he’s your best friend. He’s been in your life longer than I have. It sucks to lose someone that you are close to.”

Keith’s heart clenched a bit. Swallowing Keith blinked, looking at a point above Lance’s head. “I’m hurting him.”

Lance put a hand up against Keith’s chest, up on his heart. “Just follow this.” He smiled softly, “Trust this, trust us.”

Keith met Lance’s eyes and tried to keep a cap on his happiness. He shouldn’t be able to feel this amount of emotions for one person. And like Lance said, it was completely and utterly terrifying. Feeling this much, just for one person. Instead of trying to deal with the avalanche with emotions he leaned down and kissed Lance, trying to communicate without words.

And Lance, his beautiful, wonderful Lance understood. He kissed Keith back, letting Keith push him into the mattress.

Things might be a mess, and even though he wasn’t saying it Keith knew this bothered Lance. It was now an issue of trust.

“I love you.” Keith whispered into Lance’s ear, running a delicate finger down Lance’s stomach. “I need you to believe me.”

“Mm.” Lance shifted his position and gasped lightly, “I do. I believe you.”

He pressed his nose up against Lance’s jawline and inhaled his scent. It was all too much. He didn’t know how he was supposed to handle all of this.

“Do you believe me?” Lance whispered. “Because I do love you.”

Keith nodded. He just nodded, hands roaming over Lance’s body.

Then they kissed and Keith got lost in it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter one this time around. 
> 
> Also.
> 
> THEY DID IT. THEY SAID IT. THEY DID THE THINGGGGGG.
> 
> This chapter took a different turn and I kinda sorta fucked up my own plot but DO NOT BE FEARED. I got a new plan. Only a few more chapters left my friends.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heart to Hearts. Many of them.

**Lance**

“Wait.” Allura’s jaw dropped, “He said he loved you?!”

Shrugging Lance fought off a blush and looked down at his slides, “And I said it back.”

“Holy shit!” Allura practically shrieked. “Why didn’t you tell me right away?”

Fully blushing now Lance replied, “We uh, were a _tad_ busy.”

“What do you mean?”

Lotor snorted from where he was stretching on the floor, “They were having sex, love.”

“Oh.”

Lance rolled his eyes and smirked at Lotor. He was over at Allura’s place in her studio. He was supposed to be watching Lotor and Allura practice but they had gotten a bit off topic. “I’m mad at you.” Allura pouted.

“But why?”

“It happened three days ago! And you’re just now telling me!”

“I didn’t know I was supposed to tell you!”

Allura took off her jazz shoe and threw it at Lance’s head. “Come on! I wanna be in on your relationship drama!”

Lance dodged the shoe and looked at Lotor helplessly. Lotor just shrugged and retrieved Allura’s shoe and handed it back to her, kissing her on the top of the head. Lance watched the exchange happily, glad that his friend was finally happy. And Lance found that he was thinking of Keith. But hell, when _wasn’t_ he thinking of Keith? Especially after what happened between them the other day.

At first Lance hadn’t wanted to let himself believe what Keith had said. No one had _ever_ said they loved him. Ever. Hearing Keith say it scared the shit out of Lance. For a lot of reasons. They had only been together for a couple of months, so Lance supposed he had a bit of a reason to doubt Keith’s feelings. That and Rolo had apparently said he still loved Keith.

How was Lance supposed to deal with that information? Rolo and Keith were still extremely close, even if Rolo had been keeping his distance lately. But what if Keith suddenly woke up one day and decided he didn’t love Lance anymore?

It wouldn’t be the first time. Lance had been dumped plenty of times, usually over text. People would get overwhelmed or bored and just… leave. And it never stopped hurting.

And it was even more terrifying because Lance knew in his heart that he loved Keith back. He loved every single thing about Keith. His stupid hair, tattoos, morning breath and general disinterest toward the world. The way he played guitar and put his heart and soul into everything Page Ten did.

The way he looked at Lance when they woke up in the morning, or always giving Lance space when he was practicing his dancing. Keith had become Lance’s support system and he didn’t know if he could go on without him.

Sometimes Keith would be up early enough that he’d make Lance’s pre-practice smoothie. He always kissed Lance goodbye, kissed him in the morning and before they went to sleep.

Lance was the happiest he had ever been, but he had also never been more scared in his life. It could go downhill so fast, and Lance wouldn’t be able to pick up the pieces and move on like he could in the past.

“Love,” Lotor had been watching Lance, “Could you go grab us some drinks?”

“But we’ve only run the dance twice.”

Lotor gave Allura a pointed look and she glared for a moment before she left the room.

“You seem distracted.” Lotor addressed Lance.

“I guess I am.”

“I know we aren’t that close,” Lotor ran a hand through his hair, “But if you would like to talk…”

Lance thought for a moment, crossing his legs beneath him. “How did you know that you wanted to propose to Allura?”

Snorting a bit Lotor looked down at his shoes, a smile on his face. “I bought that ring a year ago. I went everywhere with it. I kept trying to work up my confidence but it never felt like the right time.”

“So how did you know?”

“When I look at her I see my future. She’s absolutely incredible, one of the most amazing women I have ever met. I made up my mind I would try to ask her out when we were in Seattle, because what kind of idiot proposes before the first date?”

“Well…” Lance laughed a bit at the blush on Lotor’s face.

“I took her to this crazy expensive restaurant overlooking the bay. The lights were reflecting in her hair and she was going on and on about some dance competition she had just been at. All I could do was stare at her. I was completely and utterly helpless to do anything but adore her. I don’t know when exactly I decided but I had that stupid ring box in my coat pocket and when desert came I took it out and put it in front of her.”

Lance watched Lotor in a bit of shock. He had never heard the other man talk about his feelings before. It was a new experience. He also couldn’t quite make out why Lotor was telling him all of this.

“She looked at me like I had sprouted an arm out of my ear.”

“That sounds like Allura all right.”

“I told her I loved her. Basically from the moment I met her. Of course I knew springing a proposal on her wasn’t fair, I was forcing her into a situation that she didn’t want to be in. But she surprised me by saying yes.”

Lance picked at his thumb. “Well. She’s been fawning over you for years.”

“Apparently we had both been blind to one another’s feelings.” Lotor smiled and twisted the ring on his finger, “But in that moment, when I was looking into her eyes I knew it would be ok. No matter what happened. Because at least she would know. And if she hadn’t accepted my proposal then maybe she would have grown to love me in time.”

“But didn’t that scare you? What if she walked out of your life?” Lance bit his tongue, feeling a bit ashamed. He hadn’t met to ask that, but now he was just voicing his own fears.

“Of course I was terrified. But I think that’s kind of the point.”

“What do you mean?”

“To love someone is to be terrified. Because then what’s the point? It is nice to be in a solid and stable relationship, but without that fear then it doesn’t feel quite real.”

“I think I understand…” Lance looked up at Lotor. “I’m just afraid of losing him. Everyone else left.”

“Including Allura?”

A stab of pain went through Lance’s heart. He had never really thought about it like that before. But Lotor was right. Because Lance’s feelings for Allura had been very real. And it had hurt when she rejected him. “Um. Yeah. I guess.”

“I don’t know Keith well, but from what I saw at my wedding you two seem very in sync.”

“I did love Allura.” Lance blushed, “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.”

“But the way I feel about Keith… I have _never_ experienced a love like this.”

“Take it and run with it. Some people never get to experience this Lance. I know it’s scary, but if you accept this, and let Keith love you in return then I think you’ll be surprised by the results.”

Lance stared at Lotor for a moment and then grinned. “You know, you aren’t half bad.”

Snorting Lotor smiled happily at Allura when she came back in the room, juggling three bottles of water.

“What were you two talking about?”

“None of your business.” Lotor pinched Allura’s cheek.

“Wait.” Allura looked back and forth between the two men in the room. “Did you two just _bond_?”

“Maybe.” Lance took the water Allura tossed his way.

Allura surprised them both when her eyes misted over. “My two men. Bonding. I never thought I would see the day.”

Lance rolled his eyes and smiled. “Can you two just dance already? I’d like to go home and see my boyfriend.”

“God I was trying to have a _moment_.” Allura yelped when Lotor picked her up by the waist and spun her around the room.

***

Keith was at his desk when Lance got home. He was staring intensely at the screen, headphones on. Lance could hear the faintest of sounds drifting from Keith’s headphones. Lance ruffled the hair at back of Keith’s neck and set a cup of coffee down within his reach.

Turning Keith smiled up at him gratefully. “Thanks. I’ll be done with this soon.”

Lance just smiled and set his dance bag down in the corner. Allura had let Lance use her studio for a bit after she and Lotor were done. Lance had a jazz exam coming up soon and had been practicing a bit more lately.

Checking the time he saw it was getting a bit late. He knew Keith probably hadn’t eaten yet so he went to the kitchen to see what he could whip up. They had gone shopping the other day so there was a bit more to chose from.

Lance pulled out some stuff so he could make some chicken caesar wraps and hummed quietly to himself. He was still mulling over what he and Lotor had talked about earlier. It was the first time he had seen Lotor be that honest so Lance knew that advice had come from the heart. Lance glanced up at Keith now, watching him as he mixed some music. Lotor was right of course, annoyingly enough.

There was the issue of Rolo, but Lance trusted Keith. He wasn’t going to ditch Lance if he got bored. He was a better man than that. After he had heard about all the shit Lance had gone through in the past he took Lance’s feelings into deep consideration.

Lance thought about a life with Keith. A future, something he had never allowed himself to think about before. What would they be like in a month? A year? A decade?

There were some aspects of their lives that clashed. Like their sleeping schedules, eating habits. But those issues weren’t so big that they would tear apart their relationship. Keith had his music and Lance had dance. Separate passions where they could retreat and wind down.

The gravity of Lance’s thoughts made him pause. This wouldn’t just be months. It _would_ be _years_. Keith wasn’t a dumb relationship. Lance wouldn’t have to delete pictures from Instagram, or explain to people why so and so wasn’t around anymore. Or ever have to pretend he was fine when he was dying inside. He wouldn’t have to disappear back behind his walls and be terrified to trust another person. Not this time.

Swallowing a bit thickly he blinked, looking down so Keith wouldn’t see his tears. His hands shook a bit as he kept making the food, but he felt so full, so safe. Putting both hands on the counter he braced himself, tightening his shoulders. God, it almost felt illegal to have this much happiness in his heart.

“Sorry,” Keith said, coming up behind Lance and kissing the base of his neck, “Shiro, Adam and I recorded some shit earlier and I wanted to make some changes before I forgot about them.”

“Its ok.” Lance looked up at Keith and smiled, “I didn’t think you guys would be recording so soon.”

“I didn’t either but,” He nipped at Lance’s ear, “I’ve been more inspired lately.”

“How do you think Page Ten’s fans will react to a bunch of 90’s love songs?”

“First of all, Page Ten would _never._ Second, the song we just recorded has more of an 80’s vibe.”

“Sounds lovely.” Lance pushed a plate in front of Keith, “You need to eat. You probably sat in front of that laptop for hours.”

Keith smirked and grabbed both plates, setting them down on the tiny table in the corner of Keith’s kitchen. “How was Allura’s?”

Getting some water for the both of them Lance said, “Pretty good. They are doing a double for the jazz exam and they wanted a second opinion. And Lura let me use her studio for a bit afterwards.”

“That final is on Friday right?”

“Yep. I go in at 10 A.M. Then we are going to have to get ready for midterms again.”

Keith sighed, “God I don’t know how you do it.”

“Curse of the trade I guess.”

They sat and ate, teasing one another and just enjoying being in one another’s company. Lance tried not to think too much about how domestic this was. Lance hadn’t spent a night in he and Hunk’s apartment since around Christmas time. He went to sleep in Keith’s arms every night, and usually woke up on his side of the bed with Keith sprawled out next to him.

Usually they showered together, Lance shampooing Keith’s hair while Keith desperately tried to wake up. Keith would have a cup of coffee and grunt in response to all of Lance’s questions and then by cup two he would be close to functioning. It was stupidly adorable and Lance _loved_ sleepy Keith.

And now they were washing the dishes together, Keith singing along to the song he had playing on his phone. Lance suppressed a yawn, leaning into Keith. He taught a morning class before his own classes of the day. Then he spent a few hours in the library working a paper. And now that he was winding down it was getting hard to keep his eyes open.

Keith usually stayed up a lot later than Lance did, sitting in bed with Lance while working on stuff on his laptop. It worked a lot better than Lance thought it would. But then again he came from a big family, when he was little he learned how to sleep through just about anything.

“Long day?” Keith said softly, resting his chin on top of Lance’s head.

“Mhm. Tomorrow is going to suck too.”

“Do you have a morning class to teach again?”

“Na. In the afternoon. But I have three classes on campus before that. And I should probably find time to practice.”

Keith kissed Lance’s forehead, “You are a saint. I only have two classes tomorrow and it’ll practically kill me.”

“Yeah but you have that meeting with that band from Canada.”

“Fuck right. I forgot about that.”

Lance laughed, poking Keith in the side, “You’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached to your body.”

“Probably. Good thing you’re here to help me.” Keith pulled Lance up against him and looked down at him, his expression achingly soft. “Should we get ready for bed?”

“Oh, you don’t have to get in bed with me.”

“Well,” Keith kissed Lance gently, “Too bad.”

Lance didn’t try to fight him; Keith had a stubborn streak a mile long. They stripped out of their clothes and Lance laid out his dance clothes for the morning. Keith grabbed his laptop and they snuggled into bed. “Wanna watch a movie?”

“How about _Little Women_?” Lance suggested, giggling at the look on Keith’s face. “Its so good. And Timothée Chalamet is in it.”

“That man is a god.” Keith said seriously.

Lance just laughed and logged into his Amazon Prime and got the movie set up.

They sat and watched the movie; Lance cried when Beth died and Keith had kissed his neck and wove their fingers together.

Keith raged for a bit when Laurie and Jo didn’t end up together, but seemed satisfied with the end of the movie.

Once it was over Lance could hardly keep his eyes open and nestled into Keith’s side. “I love you.” Keith whispered, pulling Lance close.

“Hm… love you too.” Lance mumbled, smiling a bit as he fell asleep.

***

“I’m sorry,” Keith’s voice crackled on the phone, “I think this meeting is going to go a lot longer than I thought it would.”

“Its no problem.” Lance was chilling over at Keith’s place, having finally finished his stuff for the day.

“We talked about getting dinner though.”

“We can go later if you want.” Lance glanced at the clock, it wasn’t that late yet. “Or just move it to this weekend.”

Sighing a bit Keith replied, “Alright. I’ll text you when I’m on the way home.”

“Ok. Be careful.”

“Love you.”

Lance’s heart clenched at how casually Keith was able to say that. “Love you too. Talk soon.”

He hung up the phone and lay down fully on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. Though he had practiced earlier he still felt a bit restless. He hadn’t skated in a while, maybe he should do that. It would be one way to burn off some of his energy.

Lance grabbed his roller skates out of the coat closet and headed downstairs. Once outside he shoved his slides into his backpack and laced up his skates. He put his headphones in and scrolled through some of the new playlists Keith had made him. Keith had really been into Sam Fender lately and put a ton of his songs in one playlist.

Starting it up Lance slowly began to drift down the street a song called [_The Borders_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2EKkWl7K1A)blasting in his ears. Weaving around people Lance let the song take his mind away. He enjoyed the breeze whipping through his hair and he waved at some people he recognized from a dance class he took last year. This was as long as his hair had been in years. But Keith kept telling Lance that he was gorgeous, so he couldn’t bring himself to cut it.

It was a beautiful day, and the sun was beginning to set. The first chorus kicked in and Lance felt a smile on his face. Keith had an incredible taste in music. This song made him feel like he was skating his way through an indie coming of age movie.

He had been skating for a while now and was coming up to a park. Finding a spot of shade he plopped down in the grass, taking out his headphones and listening to the sounds around him. A couple of kids went screeching by with a kite, dragging it along the ground more than flying it. Lance pet a dog that had happily bounded into his lap. The owner apologized and Lance waved it off with a smile.

After sitting for a while he was thinking about getting up and heading back when he heard his name. “Lance?”

Glancing behind him Lance saw Rolo standing a ways behind him, clutching his bag tightly in his hands. “Rolo. Hi.”

“Can we, uh.” Rolo looked down at his feet, “Can I talk to you for a bit?”

Even though everything in Lance’s brain was screaming to get up and run he forced a nod.

Rolo sat down on the grass near Lance, setting his bag down and started picking at his fingers. He looked exhausted. There was a slump to his shoulders Lance had never seen before. His long blond hair was up in a messy bun, dirty strands hanging around his face. God he looked so sad. “What did you want to talk about?”

“I’m trying to decide if its worth it or not.” Rolo smirked a bit, “I don’t want this to end in you cursing at me and throwing shit.”

Lance felt his brow furrow. “I’m not like that.”

“Yeah well, I wouldn’t know would I?”

“No. You wouldn’t. But you are in pain. I’m not going to make it worse.”

Rolo laughed a bit, “Its really hard to be mad at you when you’re so fucking nice.”

Lance shrugged, “I’ve been treated like shit in the past. I’m not going to do that to you.”

Sighing Rolo looked out in the distance, watching a group of ducks move across a pond. “I just have a few things I want to say.”

“I’ll listen.”

“I’m still in love with Keith. I’m sure he’s told you by now. And I mean… of course I am. I never stopped. I feel like an idiot, it took me too long to realize it. But he doesn’t love me anymore.” Rolo pauses to look at him, “He loves you. And we both know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of it. You know that this is special. He’s special. Keith is too important. Too big. And if you feel the same way, hold on to it. Treasure every single second.” Rolo’s gaze returned to the pond in the distance, “Don’t make the same mistake I did.”

Lance sat in silence, staring at the man sitting in the shade of a tree, having laid his heart bare. “I don’t know what to say.”

He laughed again, “Just write it down. Put it a romance novel or some shit.”

“I’m sorry,” Lance knew Rolo didn’t want to hear this, but he wanted to say it. “I’m sorry I took him from you.”

“Don’t be.” Rolo rubbed his eyes a bit, “I wasn’t ever going to be enough for him. He drifted away from me without even realizing it. And if I hadn’t pushed him away he would’ve stayed with me, thinking he was content.”

“Well…”

“You know I’m right.” Rolo looked at Lance again, his face serious. “But you’ve changed him. You made him realize that he deserves some big, stupid epic romance. And I wanted to thank you for that.”

“Thank me?”

“Yeah. He’s happier than he has been in years. You made that happen.”

Again Lance sat in silence, not sure how to feel.

“And if you don’t mind…” The nervousness crept back into Rolo’s voice, “I don’t want him out of my life completely. I don’t think I can lose him completely.”

“God, of course not.” Lance felt his heart throb painfully. Rolo had come to Lance, probably expecting the worse. And here he was, prepared to walk out of Keith’s life for good if Lance told him too. “I would never make you stay away from him. Like I said, I’m not like that.”

Rolo blinked, and looked down at his hands. A couple of tears dripped from his chin and onto his shirt. “Thank you.”

Lance drew his knees to his chest, looking out at the pond. The men sat in comfortable silence for a long while, listening to the ducks. “Does he still snore?” Rolo asked, breaking the silence.

Snorting Lance nodded, “One time he choked on his own spit and woke himself up.”

Rolo laughed, wiping his eyes. “God some things never change.”

“He keeps telling me that he’s going to do something about it but I know he never will.”

“Honestly I always kind of liked it.”

“Right? It’s hopelessly enduring.” The two men smiled at one another for a bit, finally coming to an understanding. 

“Well.” Rolo stood, wiping his eyes again on his shirt, “Thank you. For listening.”

“Of course.”

Rolo turned and walked away, then said over his shoulder, “Take care of my man.”

Lance smiled sadly at the man retreating, “I will.”

He watched Rolo disappear and then looked back out at that pond, feeling a weight come up off his shoulders. He hadn’t realized how heavily all the shit with Rolo had been weighing on his mind and heart.

But it still fucking killed Lance to know how much Rolo was hurting. It had happened to him enough in the past, but Lance was confident that eventually it would all be ok. Maybe the three of them would become friends in the end.

His phone vibrated and he smiled when he saw Keith’s picture light up his screen. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Keith sounded a bit breathless, “Sorry. That meeting was long as ass.”

Lance laughed, looking down at his skates, “Are you on the way home now?”

“Yep. You still at home?”

“Na. I went out for a quick skate.”

“You have too much fucking energy.”

Lance got up, starting to coast back down the sidewalk. “I mean you usually don’t complain about it…”

“I’m in public for Christ’s sake.” There was a laugh on Keith’s voice.

“Want me to pick up some food on the way back?”

“I was thinking I’d actually cook for you for once.”

“You know how to cook?”

“Ha, ha. You’re hilarious.”

Lance smiled and picked up his pace a bit. “Ok. I’ll be home soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

***

_Several Months Later_

Lance stumbled in the door, dropping his dance bag by the door. “God I am so glad that’s over.”

Keith looked up from his laptop and grinned. “That was your last final right?”

“Yes. I thought Ballet Three was going to kill me.” He collapsed on the couch, resting his head in Keith’s lap.

“Now you just have to worry about Ballet Four.”

Lance pressed a finger to Keith’s lips. “No. Sh. Don’t even remind me.”

Keith kissed gently at Lance’s finger and ran a hand through his hair. They were both finally done with their junior year, and Shiro and Adam would be graduating next weekend. They had finally decided on their wedding date. It would be about a year from now, just after Keith and Lance finished their senior years.

“I can’t believe we only have one more year of school left.” Lance closed his eyes and leaned into the sensation of Keith’s touch.

“I know. I think yours will be a lot more intense than mine though.”

“Hm.”

Keith took a deep breath and it made Lance open his eyes. “What’s up?”

“How do you know something is up?”

Lance just quirked a brow and it made Keith laugh. “Do you have any summer plans?”

“Oh. Well I guess I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“Well,” Keith bit his lip a bit, “Page Ten was thinking of touring this summer. It had been too long since we did a tour longer than a week.”

“Oh that’s awesome!” Lance sat up and looked excitedly at Keith, “How long would the tour be?”

“We were thinking about two months. All over the states.”

“Wow.”

Keith stroked a thumb over Lance’s chin, “I was wondering if you’d come along.”

“On tour?”

“Yeah.” Keith looked down at the floor, “You don’t have to, living out of vans and hotel rooms for months on end can kind of suck…”

Lance pushed Keith’s shoulder a bit, “Of course I’d love to come!” He bounced up and down a bit, “I’ve never been on tour with a band before.”

“You’d come?”

“Yes!” Lance kissed Keith’s cheek, “I mean, as long as I won’t be an inconvenience.”

“You could never be.”

Smiling Lance said, “And besides, we can hardly handle two hours without one another. Can you imagine being apart for two months?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Keith pulled Lance up into his lap, “It would just be you, me, Will, Adam and Shiro. Two vans, and a lot of gross ass bars all across the country.”

“Sounds amazing.” Lance kissed Keith, practically bubbling over with joy. He would have to take a break from teaching classes, but it probably wouldn’t be an issue. Allura and Hunk would be pissed if they didn’t get to see Lance as much, but Allura and Lotor would be spending a month in Hawaii so they wouldn’t miss much.

And Hunk could always travel out to meet them if he wanted. Keith deepened the kiss and Lance pushed his body a bit closer, trying to figure out just how he got here. What in the world he could have possibly done to deserve Keith and his love.

They separated and Lance leaned his forehead up against Keith’s and just smiled. “I’m going to be a weird tour lackey.”

Keith chuckled a bit and slipped his hands up Lance’s shirt. “Adam is so excited. This is the first time we’ve had someone new tour with us in years. He wants to teach you everything.”

“I can’t promise I’ll be the best travel companion but…”  
  


“Like you said, we wouldn’t survive two months apart.” He kissed Lance’s chin, “A smaller band is going to tour with us. They seem like pretty cool guys.”

“Was it that band from Canada?”

“Yep. Three guys covered in tattoos and the smoking habits of an old sailor.”

Lance ran his fingers up into Keith’s hair, “Can’t wait.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOOOOPPPP. We are nearing the end folks. One more chapter left.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last ride folks

**Keith**

_One Year Later_

“I look so stupid.”

“Because you’re standing like a mannequin that’s been left in an alleyway for months on end.”

Keith sighed, “Do you have to be so descriptive?”

“Hey, you laid it out there.” Rolo grinned from the chair he was lounging in. His own tie was hanging loosely around his neck, yet to be tied.

Keith let his gaze drift back to the mirror in front of him. He had tried working on his own tie but he couldn’t get it to look quite right. “Why do I have to wear a tie?”

“Its your cousin’s wedding you jackass. Wear the tie.”

Lance came flying into the room, looking too good in his own dress pants, white shirt and black tie. “What are you two doing? You’re supposed to be walking down the isle in like _five_ minutes!”

Rolling his eyes Rolo sat up and swiftly tied his tie and quirked a brow at Lance, “Do I look presentable now?”

Lance stuck his tongue out at Rolo and ran his hand over his hair. Rolo had recently chopped all his hair off and had troubling styling it. “There. Now you’re fine.”

“Thank you, your highness.” Rolo bowed dramatically and then walked from the room.

“Keith!” Lance spun him around, “We practiced with your tie for like an hour last night.”

“I just can’t get it right!”

“Why didn’t you ask Rolo to help you?”

“He was being a dick and wouldn’t help me.”

Lance sighed and rolled his eyes. “Have you two ever _not_ acted like twelve year olds?”

“Not that I can recall.” He grinned down at Lance as his boyfriend hurriedly made Keith’s tie look presentable. “You look stunning.”

“I’m not the one in the suit.”

Quirking a brow Keith quickly pressed his lips to Lance’s forehead. “Let me tell you that you’re pretty.”

Lance pressed down Keith’s suit jacket and smiled up at him. “Are you ready for this?”

“You’re asking me like I’m the one getting married.”

He shrugged, “Its still a big deal.”

Rolo poked his head into the room, “You two assholes ready? Adam is about ready to explode.”

Lance smiled, “Yep. Get your ass out there Keith.”

The three men walked out to the parlor area of the building where Adam was pacing back and forth, chewing on his thumbnail. “There you are! I’m about to shit myself.”

“Ew.” Lance quickly kissed Adam’s cheek, winked and disappeared beyond the double doors.

“Are you really that nervous?” Keith asked, watching Adam carefully.

He swallowed thickly and nodded. “I’m not second guessing anything…”

“But you’re afraid Shiro will?” Rolo asked it before Keith had the chance.

Adam nodded, taking his glasses off and wiping his eyes. “I’m freaking out over here.”

Keith smiled softly and put a hand on Adam’s shoulder, “Hey. I know my cousin, ok? And he loves you, more than he loves anything else. You got him through all the hard shit in his life. He can’t live without you.”

Blinking a bit Adam glared up at Keith, “When did you get so fucking _nice_?”

“Its all Lance’s fault.” Rolo drawled, adjusting Adam’s boutonniere, “And you two have great sex.”

“For fucks sake.” Adam muttered while Keith laughed. He took a deep breath and shook out his hands. “What if he’s not up there waiting?”

“He is.” Keith nudged Adam’s shoulder, “And I’m sure he’s getting impatient.”

“You can do this.” Rolo knocked up Adam’s chin, “Shiro loves you, and you love him. Just trust that.”

After a tense moment Adam nodded and put his glasses back on. “Ok. Ok, ok. Let’s do this.”

Rolo smiled at Adam, winked at Keith and then stood ready at the double doors, “Come on Keith, we’re supposed to flounce down this isle together.”

“Let’s go.”

Together they opened up the double doors and the music started, and there was Shiro, fidgeting nervously, looking for Adam.

Rolo linked his arm with Keith’s and winked at a little girl sitting toward the back of the room. She clapped happily and Rolo grinned up at Keith.

Shiro had of course won out the argument of getting Keith as his best man and Rolo was Adam’s. In some sort of weird cosmic way it all worked.

That and Rolo was finally back in Keith’s life. After Rolo had admitted his feelings to Keith he had dropped off the face of the planet for several months. Keith didn’t hear from him at all, though Rolo occasionally texted Shiro and Adam.

And while Keith was on cloud nine with Lance he still missed his best friend. He hadn’t realized how closely entwined he and Rolo’s life had been until Rolo was just… gone.

Page Ten went on tour for two months last summer and Rolo hadn’t come to a single show. That was the first time since Page Ten’s beginning. It had stung, but Keith knew why Rolo was doing it. It wouldn’t have been fair of him to try and make Rolo be ok with him, or with Lance.

Keith knew Rolo would come back when he was ready, and so he waited. Started his senior year at Berkeley and moved into a bigger apartment with Lance. Recorded Page Ten’s first album and released it on he and Lance’s one year anniversary. Started to look at the bigger picture of what he wanted his life to be.

And then one day, seemingly out of the blue, Rolo was back at Altea making drinks with his coworker, grinning and acting like he hadn’t been gone for almost six months.

Keith had faltered and the person behind him nearly collided with Keith’s back. He had mumbled an apology and let the person pass and when Rolo finally looked up and met eyes with Keith he hardly even reacted. He offered a small smile, and then turned to say something to his coworker. Rolo wiped his hands on his apron and then gestured for Keith to follow him. And he did.

Rolo was sitting on the table in the backroom, legs crossed beneath him, picking at his thumbnail. “Hi.” He said simply.

Keith sighed and looked down at his shoes, “Hi.”

“So uh, how have you been?”

“Good, uh yeah. Pretty good actually.”

“That’s good.”

Rolling his eyes Keith finally broke the tension, “Where the hell have you been?”

Rolo snorted, “Lasted a bit longer than I thought you would.”

“I was worried about you.”

“I know.” Rolo redid the braid his hair was in, “I went home for a while. Hadn’t seen my parents or siblings in years.” His eyes went so horribly sad, “Did a lot of crying. Soul searching bullshit. I needed to get over you.”

Keith’s heart ached. A deep guilt ran through him, these past months he had been prancing around with Lance, as happy as he’s ever been. And Rolo was halfway across the country, grieving.

“Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

Rolo gestured at Keith, “Feel guilty. You’re still an open book you know. I don’t want you to feel bad or regret anything about your relationship. But you had moved on years ago, and I should’ve done that too. Just came a bit too late is all.”

Blinking a bit Keith watched Rolo for a long moment, his throat going tight. After a long moment he closed his eyes and said, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too asshole.” Rolo got off the table and walked up to Keith, gently knocking his chin up. “I’m sorry that I just disappeared.”

“I understand why you did it.” Keith smiled a bit and then yanked Rolo into a tight hug.

The shorter man hesitated for a moment before he returned the hug, just as hard.

And after that Rolo slowly came back into Keith’s life. It was slow and pretty fucking awkward but he felt more full now that Rolo was back. And to Keith’s complete surprise Lance and Rolo became fast friends. They liked a lot of the same TV shows and music and both had a pension for making fun of Keith, constantly.

So in short, life had been sickeningly sweet. Almost to a fault.

Rolo and Keith had made it down the isle and Keith hugged Shiro tightly, bumping his shoulder. “You ready for this?” He whispered.

Shiro sighed shakily and nodded, eyes already misting over.

Keith’s eyes sought out Lance and he smiled at the excited look on his boyfriend’s face. Lance had helped Shiro and Adam plan a lot of this wedding, so Keith knew it was exciting for him to see the fruits of his labor.

The music changed again and two attendants opened the double doors where Adam nervously stood on the other side. He straightened and smiled wetly, and it was clear he only had eyes for Shiro.

The breath caught in Shiro’s throat and Keith smiled at him. God it was so incredible to see Shiro this happy. Adam walked down the isle solo, wiping his eyes and laughing at Shiro.

By the time Adam finally got to Shiro’s side they were both crying, and Shrio tenderly held Adam’s face in his hands and their smiles seemed brighter than the sun.

The ceremony was brief and simple. Adam had insisted they write their own vows, so he went first. “Takashi,” He was immediately crying, pushing up his glasses to wipe at his eyes. “God don’t look at me like that I’m going to explode.”

The guests laughed and Keith pulled some Kleenex out of his pocket and handed one to Adam. “When I first met you I had no idea I’d end up loving you. I thought I would play drums for you and Keith for a few months and then move on. I had never been the type for long term relationships.” He inhaled shakily and Shiro took one of his hands, “But you’ve changed me. You bastard.”

Keith snorted and Rolo rolled his eyes, grinning from ear to ear. “And after your accident I couldn’t figure out why I was so scared.” Adam’s fingers ever so carefully traced the scar across Shrio’s face, “But when you finally woke up I realized why. I was so stupidly in love with you, and I almost lost you. So from then on I made sure to treasure every single second with you.” Adam smiled through his tears, “So don’t ever think about leaving me because I will cease to function.”

Shiro laughed, rubbing his thumbs over Adam’s knuckles, “You’re threatening me at our wedding.”

“Did you really expect anything else?” Rolo quipped, laughter filling the room in response.

It was Shiro’s turn, and while his face remained stoic Keith could tell he was desperately trying not to cry. “Adam, even though you’re kind of an asshole, I adore you.”

“It seemed like everyone around us knew about how I felt about you before I did. I’m not the best with… feelings.” Shrio smirked, “And our first date was so shitty,” He turned to address the guests, “I got food poisoning and spent the night throwing up in Adam’s toilet.”

Adam chuckled, wiping his eyes. Shiro continued. “And I thought you’d leave after the accident. But you didn’t. That confused me, but when we finally wised up and confessed I realized I had finally found something I had been searching for my whole life. And that was you. I love you, Adam. I can’t wait to get old and cantankerous with you.”

After the vows the rest of the wedding passed quickly. They exchanged rings and kissed to the applause of the guests in the venue. The older men wove their fingers together and went back down the isle together. Keith offered his arm to Rolo and they quickly followed behind, ready to greet all the guests. Matt and Pidge knocked everyone on the shoulders, overly excited with their congratulations.

Finally Lance was hugging Keith, pushing his nose into Keith’s neck. “Hi,” Keith whispered.

“You looked incredible up there.” Lance said softly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Keith’s ear, “I’ll see you at the reception.”

Keith watched Lance go, heartstrings tugging. He had his own ideas about his future with Lance, but he supposed the wedding just made those feelings stronger. Keith had never loved anyone like this and he knew he would never experience this with anyone else. But if the universe remained kind he would never have to know what life would be like without Lance.

Eventually the guests were all waiting outside for Shrio and Adam to leave, so Keith and Rolo took their cue and headed outside into the waiting car. They watched Adam and Shiro make their way through the crowd, waving and smiling.

“Fucking Christ.” Adam said as soon as he was in the car, “I just got married.”

“Already having second thoughts?” Shiro quipped, closing the door behind them. The car departed from the curb and started to head across town.

“Never.” Adam kissed Shiro happily, smiling into it.

Rolo draped and arm over Keith’s shoulders and smiled at them. “Congratulations you two.”

“Thanks.” Shiro settled back into the seat, wrapping an arm around Adam’s waist, “But now I have to socialize all fucking night.”

“Hey now,” Adam pinched the bridge of Shrio’s nose, “Socialize with me just for one night and then I’ll never make you do it again.”

Shiro sighed, pulling at his tie, “We both know that’s a lie.”

Keith grinned at the sound of Adam’s laughter.

***

Several hours later Keith was swaying back and forth slowly, Lance in his arms. Even though Keith had been dating a dancer for well over a year his own skills hadn’t gotten any better. But he could at least handle slow dancing.

Lance rested his head against Keith’s chest and hummed contentedly. The night had been winding down and not a lot of people were left on the dance floor. But Lance had insisted they dance to one more song before they finally went home too.

Adam and Shiro were out in the middle of the floor, Shiro craning his head down to hear what Adam was saying. They looked so fucking happy and Keith couldn’t help but smile. Even Rolo was dancing with his date, a really cool non-binary individual that went by Kai. Rolo looked happy enough, smiling into Kai’s face as they slowly drifted around the floor.

“You’ve been quiet.” Lance said over the music.

“Hm.” Keith kissed the top of Lance’s head, “I’m just happy.”

“Me too.” Lance looked up, “You about ready to go home?”

“Yeah.” He glanced over at the happy couple, “We should probably go tell them goodbye.”

Lance giggled, “They look pretty… busy.” Lance was right, Adam had just reached for Shrio’s mouth and they were kissing deeply. “Come on,” He tugged lightly at Keith’s hand, “I’m exhausted.”

Keith and Lance waved at Rolo and went to go grab their things. It was well into the middle of the night and Lance was blinking sleepily. Keith guided Lance to the Uber he called and Lance curled into Keith’s side with a yawn.

He spent the Uber ride watching the lights of the city, lighting rubbing a thumb over the back of Lance’s neck.

Their new apartment was further away from campus, only a couple blocks from Shiro and Adam’s place. It was a two bedroom, Lance had insisted. He said Keith needed a better spot to mix and record music. It had taken Keith a long while to agree, he had wished he could’ve gotten a place where Lance could’ve practiced too.

When the Uber driver dropped them off Keith helped Lance out of the car and then carried him up to their apartment door. “Are you about to carry me over the threshold?” Lance mumbled. He was holding both of their ties and wrapped his arms tighter around Keith’s neck.

“It would seem so.”

Keith managed to unlock the door to their place and got Lance inside, kicking off his shoes and pulling Lance’s off one at a time. Keith thought for a moment that Lance was faking, but his boyfriend had indeed fallen asleep. Grinning a bit Keith padded softly back to their bedroom.

Their bedroom was a perfect combination of both their personalities, some of Keith’s old concert posters and Lance’s Rudolf Nureyev picture above the bed. There weren’t any closets in this place but Lance had figured out a way to artfully display all their clothes out in the open. It was kind of hilarious really, all of Keith’s clothes were black and Lance had a colorful array.

The bed was a mess of brightly colored pillows against a gray comforter and a white headboard. Most of the interior design was thanks to Lance and Allura plotting together for hours on end and countless trips to Ikea. Truth be told Keith didn’t really care, as long as he was with Lance he would be fine living anywhere.

Ever so carefully Keith laid Lance down on the bed and began to strip out of his wrinkled suit. Lance groaned a bit and rubbed his eyes, “When did I fall asleep?”

“Right when we got back.”

He sat up and sleepily unbuttoned his dress shirt. “What time is it?”

“Four in the morning.”

Groaning Lance managed to slip out of his dress pants in one smooth gesture and collapsed back on the bed.

Keith felt an actual giggle leave his mouth and he quickly joined Lance, pulling the blankets up around them. Nuzzling into his side Lance pressed his nose into Keith’s neck. “That was a nice wedding.”

“Yeah it was.”

“I met Kai at one point, they were really cool. They seemed absolutely smitten with Rolo too.”

A smile stretched across Keith’s face. “I’m glad for him.”

“Seems like everything is coming up roses.” Lance’s breath ghosted out across Keith’s neck.

Keith snorted and pressed a kiss to the side of Lance’s head. “I love you.”

“Most ardently…” Lance whispered.

That made Keith blink. Pulling back a bit he looked down at Lance to find him smirking into his pillow.

“What?” Lance asked innocently.

“You’re quoting _Pride and Prejudice_ at me.”

Lance shrugged and rolled over, “Maybe.”

“No, come here.” Keith pulled Lance into his arms and kissed him, soft at first, but then a bit more demanding. “You can’t Matthew MacFadyen me and expect me not to do anything about it.”

Lance just laughed, the mirth in his eyes made Keith’s heart soar. “I love, I love, I love you.” Lance said, running a hand up into Keith’s hair. “You have bewitched me,” His lips ghosted over Keith’s bare collarbone, “Body and soul.”

Keith’s eyes fluttered shut and his breath hitched out of his throat as Lance’s hands found their mark. “You suck.” He got out.

“Hm…” Lance flipped them over, trailing fingers down Keith’s stomach. His hands played with the waistband of Keith’s underwear, “Do I?” His lips and teeth scraped down Keith’s stomach and danger level low.

Gritting his teeth Keith groaned, “Yeah I guess you do.”

***

_Several Months Later_

“You ready to go?” Lance asked, doing his last checks.

Keith stood in their empty apartment for a long moment, taking it all in. He and Lance were finally moving today. And it wasn’t _that_ big of a deal but Keith found that he was emotional. He and Lance had only lived in this apartment for a year, but it was where they had started their life together.

Lance came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. “I’m gunna miss it too.”

Keith hummed quietly, closing his eyes. The moving truck was already on the way, and they had decided to make a little road trip out of the move. Granted Seattle wasn’t that far from Berkeley but they had plenty of stops along the way.

They had talked about moving up to Seattle for a long time, but it was cemented once Shiro and Adam relocated up there. Page Ten couldn’t continue to put out music if the band was separated. Lance had already landed a couple of freelance jobs teaching dance in and around the Seattle area. The music video for _Natural_ had picked up a hell of a lot more attention than Keith could’ve imagined, bringing popularity to the band and to the mysterious dancer in the video. Once people found out that it was Lance was scouts had been desperate to get him involved in other projects.

So far he had appeared in music videos for MILK, M83, Colouring and Sam Fender. Lance had remained humble throughout it all, still claiming he wasn’t all that talented.

Page Ten was also on the rise. They weren’t 1975 level big yet, but their fan base was growing by the day. It was humbling to see the bands hard work pay off after all these years. Later on that year they were going to do their first European tour, a fact Adam _would not_ shut up about.

“Come on.” Lance said, grabbing Keith’s hand, “The landlord wanted us gone thirty minutes ago.”

Keith smiled a bit sadly and followed Lance out of the building. Another adult purchase the two had done included a better car. It was filled with odds and ends and clothes and whatever they might need for their several weeks long road trip.

Standing outside the building for a bit Keith looked around him. He had lived in Berkeley for last four years; it was strange to be leaving. But at least he wasn’t leaving alone. Lance hoped up on the hood of the car and turned Keith to face him. “You ready for this adventure?” He asked happily.

“I think so.” He nudged his nose up by Lance’s ear. “How’s Allura handling the move?”

Lance giggled, “Not well. She’s still pissed that I would leave without her.” Lance’s hands settled on Keith’s hips, “But her dad is fucking loaded so she can fly up anytime she wants.”

Allura and Lotor were remaining in Berkeley for the time being, they both were thinking about moving onto graduate school. For now they were going to open their own dance studio.

Lance’s eyes grew a bit sad, “I’m gunna miss Hunk though.”

Hunk found an amazing job in Hawaii and was moving soon as well. “We can find time to visit.” Keith supplied, “Hell. Maybe there are a bunch of Page Ten fans in Hawaii.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Lance smiled and pulled Keith’s lips down for a quick kiss. “I can’t wait to get all of our stuff into our new place.”

They had found an incredible little apartment just off of downtown. All exposed brick and open floor plans. Honestly they were a bit worried that something might be wrong with the place, what with how cheap they were getting it. But it had space enough for Keith to have an area for himself and plenty of room for Lance to practice as well.

Shiro and Adam’s new place was further away, but it was close to the studio that they had been renting for Page Ten stuff so Keith supposed he would have to get used to public transit.

He took one last look around the neighbor, sighing heavily. Lance took out a hair tie and pulled Keith’s hair up, “I love you, Keith Kogane.” He said softly.

Keith smiled happily, getting the car keys out of his pocket, “And I love you, Lance McClain.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! We did it! We reached the end!
> 
> First of all, thank you all so much for reading this little fic. I kind of started it out for fun and I never expected it to get as much attention as it did. This was really fun to write, it was a lot more light hearted and warm than my previous fic. I love Keith and Lance so much, and nothing makes me happier than giving them an ending that they deserve. 
> 
> So again, thank you all for the lovely comments, it always shocks me that people take anything from my writing. I love you all and I hope to have more stuff out in the future. 
> 
> Carry on and kick 2020 right in its ass. 
> 
> -justkindaherechilling


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